


Sunset In Paris - Revamped

by SilentRose



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game), Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A/B/O, Abuse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Author will tag chapters with triggering elements, Battle of the Bands, Child Abuse, Crossover, Daddy Kink, Everyone being dumbasses, F/F, F/M, Like, Miraculous Ladybug x Afterglow, Multi, Music, Past Child Abuse, Useless Author, Useless Lesbians, miraculous - Freeform, no really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-01-13 00:15:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21234953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentRose/pseuds/SilentRose
Summary: "You'd think they'd have seen a band before. This is Paris! It's a city of music!"9/15/2020 - Decided to rework this series so some of the elements I added in later are here from the beginning.





	1. Chapter 1

As Marinette waved goodbye to her grandmother boarding the plane, she stopped and let out a sigh. Don't get her wrong, she loved her family to bits. But having family over was always just a little bit stressful, especially if they were to see her room, with her dozens of posters and pictures of her crush, Adrien Agreste. She was more than a little lucky that she is so interested in fashion, and that Adrien is a model, or she would not have been able to get away with having her obs- _ crush _ on display when her friends visit. A loud yell broke Marinette out of her reverie.

**"What do you mean you're going to hold our luggage?! You can't just keep our stuff for no reason!"** Turning to look at the sound, Marinette was surprised to see a group of five girls, clearly foreign from everything from their accents to the way they dress. The girl yelling, a short girl with black hair that has a red streak in it, draws the most attention to their group. She has on a black hoodie that looks like she's gotten white paint all over it, a choker with a star on it, a necklace with an 'A' on it, a piecemeal shirt that's half-black half-red diagonally, short shorts (Marinette tries to keep comments of the girl's smooth legs out of her head), a belt on her left leg and a stocking with two garter belts, one above the other, on her right leg, ending in a pair of black boots. The Girl With The Red Stripe continues to voice her disapproval of airport security.

**"You'd think they'd have seen a band before. This is Paris! It's a city of music!"** Another girl, this one with bone-white hair, chimes in.

**"Don't be so upset Ran-chan, they're probably such big fans that they just want a close-up look at Moca-chan's guitar~"** Whereas the other girl - Ran, apparently- had a stern look on her face, this new girl, who Marinette is assuming is Moca, has a lazy, sleepy expression on her face. Ran spoke with determined fire, while Moca spoke in a slow, almost carefree manner. For some reason that she couldn't fathom, Marinette was drawn in by this colorful group of girls. It seems this Moca girl had on the same hoodie and necklaces that Ran did, with a halter top with corset laces over it, and a pair of black and white vertical stripe short shorts. It seems they share a liking for the single stocking with two garter belts on her left leg look, as she also has one, and on her right leg she has....a teal short sock? ending in a pair of black boots. Internal screeching about outfit coordination properly pushed away for later, Marinette has figured she's watched on for long enough and starts approaching the girls and the irritated security guard.

**"We have to make sure...unscrupulous individuals don't cause our city any harm. The seedier a group looks, the more likely we are to check their bags. So you're to blame for us checking and holding your bags."** The Beta security guard says with a sneer. Marinette's blood absolutely boils_. _ She cannot stand when people are treated unfairly, especially for something as harmless as their looks. Furious, the small Beta between Ran and the security guard, turning her molten gaze to him. 

**"How, in what world, do these teenage girls look like people who could harm a fly, let alone a city? You must really despise your position here because something like this is ****very**** likely to get you tossed. So please, stop harassing a group of girls because they ****look** **different!"** Flustered and heaving for breath, Marinette turns her apologetic gaze to the girl she defended, as the security guard went on his way after throwing another snide look over his shoulder at the girls.

**"I-I'm sorry for butting in, but I...I can't look away when injustice is being done! What he was doing was ****totally** **wrong. Please don't think all French people are like him. I promise, give us a chance and Paris will wow you!"**

The girl with the red streak, Ran, seemed to mull something over in her head for a little bit. Coming to a conclusion, she shows the tiniest smile Marinette thinks she's ever seen and says**"...You defended us, but you don't know us. If everyone here is half as kind as you are, I know we'll be in a good place."** The girls behind her all echoed her sentiments. At the moment, one of their phones rang, causing a tall redhead to step away from the group for some quiet. At this, Ran held out her hand, a little awkwardly.

**"Mitake Ran. Lead singer of Afterglow."** Marinette smiled brightly at her seeming acceptance by the cool Alpha beauty. 

**"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, aspiring fashion designer. Might I ask, what is Afterglow?"** Ran stands a little taller. 

**"It's our band we all play in. It's nice to meet you Marinette."**

The white-haired girl, as if just realizing Marinette's presence for the first time, pulls a slothly smile on her face **"Ohoho, Moca-chan approves, hmn hmn! Moca-chan smells ****_pan!_ ** ** "** How this small Omega girl can look so comfortable and yet have such a smile is a mystery to Marinette. Somehow, her monotone voice is at once calming and exciting. A girl with bubblegum pink hair pulls Marinette into a hug with a big smile on her face.

**"Oh yay! A new friend! I love making new friends! Bassist Uehara Himari, at your service!"** She says with a goofy salute, letting Marinette breath again. Oxygen flowing to her brain again, Marinette can take in this bubbly Beta girl. On her head, she seems to wear the only cap of the group, a plain black cap with a grey 'A' in the center. She has the rest of the group’s boots, choker and hoodie, though her hoodie is tied around her waist. For her top, she's wearing a see-through white halter top with a black halter top underneath it, and a bright pink pencil skirt, a leather armband, and pink socks under her boots, hardly visible. 

**"No fair, Hii-chan,~ Moca-chan saw her first!" **At this outburst, the two girls start arguing.

Suddenly, a light, sad voice calls from behind the group of girls, causing Marinette to turn around and see this small girl. She must be part of the group, she thinks, because she too has the boots, chokers, and hoodie of this band. Her appearance is rather minimalistic, Marinette concludes, seeing as this brown-haired girl, for accessories, only has a green bandana in her hair and a garter belt around her left leg. Even her dress is gentle, a pale gold sundress. It's almost like this small girl is trying to calm those around her with such a soft outfit. 

**"Sorry ** ** _minna_ ** **, I couldn't find a drink machine that would take Yen!"** It's at this point that this girl sees Marinette and perks up, smiling brightly 

**"Hello! My name is Hazawa Tsugumi! Did the girls do something wrong?! I'm sorry!"** Before Marinette can respond, the girl is bowing low and deep, something she doesn't recognize.

**"Ah, no, s-see, the security guard was harassing your friends and I came over and gave him a piece of my mind. No one should be bullied, especially not for their looks."** Hearing this, the tiny Omega sighs and lets out a fond, if tired, smile. Marinette can't help but smile in response; even sad, this girl seemed to radiate happiness, like the sun. A loud stamping boot, followed by a whispered **"Fuck!"** is what draws Marinette's, and all the other girls’, attention to the girl with red hair. Moca sees the look of realization that hits Marinette, and leans next to her and says 

**"That's our Tomo-chin, ** ** _kakuii, ne?"_ ** This ‘Tomo-chin’, was easily the tallest of all the girls, taller than herself even, and has long, blazing red hair, like an inferno. She has the same boots, chokers, and hoodie as the others, and like Himari, she has it tied around her waist. She wears a sleeveless camouflage vest halter top, and black skinny jeans that have a few diagonal zippers down the front of her legs, and a black and grey belt on. 

**"That was our ride, turns out someone rear-ended their car, so we're out of a ride to the hotel. Everyone’s okei, but it’s going to take a while to get everything wrapped up on their end."** As she finishes her sentence, she heaves an exhausted sigh. It’s then that she notices Marinette, standing there awkwardly. 

**"Ah! Sorry, did the girls bother you? I'm Udagawa Tomoe, drummer for Afterglow."** That earned a **"Hei! Why does everyone keep insisting we're bothering people!"** from Himari. Tomoe looks at her with a 'are you serious' expression fixed on her face 

**"Because you three have a tendency to get yourselves into trouble," **The Alpha replied with a straight face. Himari pouted, whilst Moca gave a 'fair enough' shrug, with a smirk. As she remembered something, Marinette perked up 

**"Wait, did you say your ride bailed? Why not ride with me and papa? I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out friends, and I'm sure we have the space to fit everyone. That is if it's okei with your parents?"** Were Marinette not in the midst of finding her father’s number, she would've seen the wince that went through the group as a collective at the word 'parents', but as it was, Marinette was unaware she accidentally stepped on a landmine. Himari jumped forward, grabbing Marinette's hands, tears clouding her eyes. 

**"You'd really do that!? You're a lifesaver!"**

**"Well, of course. You're in need of help, and I can help, so why would I not?"** Marinette replied, a tad bit confused. Ran stepped up to Marinette and spoke, her eyes betraying a past experience.

**"Not everyone is so kind. So thanks. We'd appreciate a ride." **Nodding, Marinette stepped away to call Tom, her father, and after telling him what was going on, he was insisting that he help. Thanking him and telling him to pull out the front of the Airport, she hung up and returned to the group. 

**"What's the verdict?"** Tomoe said, trying and failing not to look too hopeful. 

**"Papa insisted that we help, he wants you all to have dinner with us tonight and tell us more about yourselves! He's calling ** ** _maman_ ** ** now to get everything set up!"** At this, the group cheered, happy to not have to worry about lodgings for the night. After getting all of their luggage, and showing them to her dad's van, Tom insisted on loading everything in the back himself.

**"You girls are probably exhausted from your flight, go on and relax, this'll only take a few minutes,"** The large Beta man said with a big smile. As they all piled into the car, Tomoe looked back and blanched as she saw Tom lifting a good half of their stuff in one arm and putting it gently in the back. 

**"Your dad...is like...crazy strong. Are you sure he's human?"** Marinette only giggled 

**"Of course he is, he's a baker after al-"** Before she could finish her sentence, Moca, who was sitting in a very smug Ran's lap from lack of seats, burst forward with more speed than Marinette has seen her make the entire time. **  
**

**"You live at a bakery? Has Moca-chan died and gone to heaven?"** Tsugumi, who was given her own seat, giggling at Ran and Moca's antics, spoke up. 

**"I get what that's like, my family owns a cafe, so it's pretty busy in the shop a lot."** Moca just gave her signature smirk.

**“** ** _Tsugutteru_ ** ** as always, ** ** _ne_ ** **?” **After which was followed by a resounding agreement from the other girls and a squeak from the red-faced Tsugumi. Baffled by the...adjective? Marinette doesn't have much time to think on it, as Tom closes the trunk and gets into the driver's seat, heading for home, a smirking Ran pulling Moca back into her lap, muttering. 

**“I don’t wanna have to hear you whine if you ended up hurt.”**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Chapter contains mentions and allusions to child abuse. I personally have dealt with this kind of hell, so if you need to turn back, you've been warned. Look out for yourselves kiddos.

The hour and a half drive was filled with silence as the girls fell asleep shortly after Tom had pulled his car out of the airport and onto the road. Moca was sitting horizontally across Ran’s lap, laying back against the seat while her head was gently nuzzled up to Ran’s. Tomoe’s face was stern in her sleep, and Himari was mumbling something about having lost weight, with a giddy grin on her face. Tsugu seemed to be having a dream in which Moca was messing with her in some way, shape, or form. Tom was focusing on driving, and Marinette was looking out the window, lost in thought. A lot had happened in the hour it had taken her to drop her grandmother off, and then having met and helped these 5 girls. They were so… unique. You could tell that they had been friends for a long time, everything from the nicknames they had for one another, to even having dreams about one another, regardless of the content. There were so many questions she wanted to ask these girls. Where did they come from? Where were they headed? Did they have relatives here or did they come here for something else? Why were their outfits so asymmetrical?

After having looked up and realized that they had arrived home, Marinette turned around and shook the nearest girl to her, which happened to be Himari, who woke with a startled “**Huh?!.. Oh, guys, we’re here!” ** Which woke up Tomoe and Tsugumi. Moca, however, just turned away from the noise, burying her face into Ran’s neck. Ran, meanwhile, clung onto Moca more, mumbling something incoherent to the other girls. Right as Marinette opened her mouth to tell them that they were here, Tomoe caught her eye and shook her head, sighing, but it was clear she was amused, not put off by her two dozing friends. Confused, Marinette proceeded to get out of the car and opened the side door for Himari and Tomoe. 

**“Alright girls, I’ll grab the legs and you make sure they don’t fall,”** Tomoe said with a chuckle. With a realization of horror and amusement, Marinette thought they’d done this before. 

**“Um, wouldn’t it be safer to just wake them up? You might drop them if you pick them up.” **Right as Marinette said that, All three girls’ faces paled in unison. 

**“U-um...that’s not such a good idea,” ** said Himari 

**“They get...well...** **feral** ** when woken up, especially if you try to separate them.”** Said a shaking Tsugumi. 

**“We tried. Once. I nearly lost my eye, Tsugumi nearly lost a hand, and Himari refuses to be near a thermometer ever again.” **Tomoe said, with a deathly serious face.

A voice behind them startled them at its sudden, yet caring presence. 

**“Then Marinette, I want you to go make sure ****_maman _****readied a room for those two. If she asks why for them specifically, tell her I’ll be in after bringing their luggage in to explain.” **Tom says, eyes never leaving Tomoe’s, with a look of sad understanding in them. Not quite understanding what was going on, Marinette set off to do as her father asked.

As the girls watch Marinette run off the short distance through the dark to the front door, Tomoe speaks up. 

**“Okei girls, on three. One! Two! Three!” **At three, Tomoe picked the slumbering girls up by their hips and legs, and Himari and Tsugumi lifted them by their hips and backs. Looking over, Tomoe sees Tom lift all of their luggage in his arms in one go, more than a little impressed, regardless of the situation. Tom catches her eye as he turns from locking the car up. 

**“How long has it been going on?” **He asks solemnly. Tomoe saw the look in his eye earlier. She decides to skip playing dumb. 

**“Since we’ve all known each other, sir. Growing up, the lot of us were in an orphanage, Haneoka Girl’s Orphanage. All of us, that is, except for Ran.” **

Tom sees the pained look in Tomoe’s eyes, keeping pace with the girls so as to not rush them, or miss what they were saying. 

**“Ran’s dad was...abusive. Her mother died giving birth to her, you see, and he resented her for it. I think...the scars tell the stories far better than we can, but...back then, Ran said she was jealous of us. That we didn’t have to deal with our parents beating us. We were kids ya know? We thought she was crazy, how could someone ** **not ** **want to have their parents around? ** **Tsugumi was the first to catch on. She saw the bruises her dad left on her. About a month after her first visit, she broke down and told us what her dad was doing. Moca, who had until then just silently listened to her stories, laying her head in her lap, that sleepy expression always on her face…**

**“She spoke. She spoke for the first time since any of us met her. She was angry. There’s a lot of awful things in this world, sir, but an ****angry ** **Moca...That’s the worst, the most terrifying.” **Tomoe shook, remembering what was going through her head. 

**“You don’t have to go on, Tomoe,” **Tom said, eyes welling with unshed tears. She just shook her head. 

**“Moca’s words...still shake me to this day. Of all the years I’ve known her, I’ve never heard her say something with as much conviction as she had in her voice that day.” ** Tears were rolling down Tomoe’s cheeks, falling onto the girls’ legs underneath her. **“ ‘I’ll kill him.’ She said it with more fire in her eyes than I’ve ever seen, sir. I didn’t doubt for a second that she would try her best or die trying. Moca, growing up, had a habit of following people around. Everyone knew it was just her being curious, so no one hassled her about it. She didn’t speak, so everyone just allowed her to follow them, to let the little rabbit 'socialize'. One day, after Ran’s breakdown, when Ran left, we couldn’t find Moca. We looked all over the orphanage for her, and she wasn’t there. It was Himari who realized that she probably followed Ran home. ****Fearing she would pull through with her promise, we rushed to Ran’s house. She’d had us over a few times when her dad was out, but Moca was sick during those times, and when she doesn’t speak, you’d have to turn around and see her to know she was there. We learned the rest of what happened after the fact, we’d gotten there too late to really help with or see anything. **

**Moca had apparently followed Ran up into her room, mesmerized by her little kitten tail, wanting to know where her friend goes each day after she visits, and when Ran finally turned around and noticed, she panicked. After she realized it was too late to take Moca home and get back in time for her dad to arrive home, she realized she’d have to sneak her out the window, after her dad went to sleep. She sat on the bed, and Moca laid her head in her lap, like she always did, as Ran told her stories, sang to her, whatever it took to keep their minds off of her dad.**

**“Unfortunately, they fell asleep, tangled up in each other’s arms before her dad got home. When he arrived home and wasn’t immediately given dinner, he stormed up into Ran’s room, but her door was locked, which just made him even angrier.” **At this point, the tall, confident, joyous girl he’d met an hour and a half ago, looked like a small child, as if she was experiencing this all for the first time all over again, shaking like she was freezing cold.

**“Breaking down the door, her dad seen her sleeping next to Moca, who he’d never met. He was as traditional as it came so...he assumed things. He stomped over and went to hit Ran awake, but when he busted down the door, Moca had woken up. Moca had jumped on top of Ran to shield her from his blows. She was so small back then, sir. Ran had woken up from the weight on top of her and from Moca’s cries as her dad beat them both. Moca had managed to land a hit to his groin long enough to stun him, and Ran managed to hit her dad over the head with her lamp, knocking him out.** **Being a little girl, she thought she killed him and went and packed what little belongings she had of her mother’s and ran carrying Moca’s unconscious body. We got there as we saw Ran sprinting out her door with Moca in her arms, a guitar on her back, and both of their faces bloody and bruised.” **

It was at this that Tom registered the tears rolling down his cheeks and that they had stopped moving. He realized he could hear the sound of the other girls crying too. **“We ran after that. We worked whatever jobs we could, made enough to get by. It wasn’t until Moca suggested performing music that our lives started to improve. With Moca’s playing and Ran’s singing, we were eventually able to get off the streets, feed ourselves, even get the rest of us instruments to make a band. Ran gave Moca her mother’s guitar, saying her mother would be okei with Ran giving it to someone ‘like her’. So Moca went and got Ran a guitar, teaching her how to play whenever we weren’t actively performing.” **Tom was a little surprised. From the condition of their carrying bags, he knew they all knew how to take care of their instruments, but he didn’t think that Moca would be the one to know how to play something before the rest of them did.

**“Surprising, huh?” ** Tomoe said, noticing the surprise on his face, smiling. **“Moca would hop around trying whatever could hold her attention when we were at Haneoka. Guitar just happened to be something she vibed with.”**

As the girls and Tom filed into the building, he caught the sad look in his wife’s eyes, but unfortunately, so did his daughter. 

**“****_Maman, _ ** **is everything okei?” **

**“It’s nothing dear, would you show the girls to their rooms while your father and I put their stuff away?” **Sabine asked, tactfully changing the topic as quickly as possible. Marinette did as she was told, helping the girls set Moca and Ran down in their room, and covered them up, as she showed Himari and Tomoe their room, and had Tsugumi follow her, to sleep in her room. Tsugumi hadn’t realized just how exhausted she was from today’s events, quickly shutting her eyes.

**“Goodnight, Marinette.”** Before she could finish turning around from getting ready for bed, Tsugumi was out like a light. Smiling and climbing into bed, Marinette replied 

**“Goodnight, Tsugumi.” **She pulled the covers over them and slipped quickly into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Waking up in a new place put Moca on edge, immediately diving over Ran’s form to shield her from harm. After the panic subsided, she sat down on the edge of the bed and took a breath. Her sleepy expression back in place, she looked around the room. It was a simple, small little room with a pale blue wallpaper, a dresser, the bed her and Ran were on, and both of their guitars in the corner, next to Ran’s mic stand (she preferred to have her own mic and stand, so as not to have to use the sometimes sticky or ineffectual ones of the places they performed at). **“Moca?” **A sleepy, husky-voiced Ran asked from behind her. Moca liked a sleepy Ran.

**“Ohh, it’s Ran-chan, ** ** _Ohayou_ ** **~” **At this, Ran gave a soft smile to her ivory-haired friend and sat up. 

**“I assume this is Marinette’s home. I’ll have to pay them later for letting us stay. Didn’t Marinette mention that her family runs a bakery?” **At recalling this information, Moca’s eyes light up.

**“Ran~ You remembered for poor ol’ Moca-chan? ** ** _Daisuke~_ ** **” **Moca said as she pressed her forehead against Ran’s and smiled her usual lazy smile. 

**“Mn. ** ** _Daisuke, _ ** **Moca.” **Ran said. Standing up, Moca opened the door and followed her nose, downstairs into the bakery where her mouth watered and her eyes lit up 

**“Moca-chan’s died and gone to heaven! Poor ol Moca-chan’s heart can’t take much more of this bliss~” **At this outburst, the room ignited in laughter. It seems everyone was already awake, her and Ran being late risers, like always. Tom and Sabine chuckled, while Marinette was nearly bent double from laughing so hard. Moca started pouting. 

**“****_Mouu,_ ** ** you hurt poor Moca-chan~,” **Moca says as she feigns heartbreak. From behind her on the steps, she hears her best friend.

**“****_Itsumodori, na? _ ** **Moca being ridiculous, and everyone laughing.” **Ran smiles as Moca turns around and gives her this look that makes her stomach do little flips of joy. Tomoe’s laugh draws everyone’s attention to her. 

**“It really is 'the same as always', huh? It’s nice to see you both awake. We thought you’d both sleep through the day!”** This earned more laughter and muttered complaints from Ran. Tom clears his throat to gather the attention of the room. 

**“While we’re all here, I wanted to ask you girls something.”** After receiving a nod to go on, he continues. **“Do you girls have a place to stay? I’m not saying you need to leave, but I wanted to know what your plan was when you got to Paris, had your ride been able to make it.”**

At this, Ran tilted her head, thinking. After a moment, she responded. **“We were going to go to a hotel. We brought along enough money for the hotel and living expenses. We’re going to compete in the Battle of the Bands.” **This earned more than a few nods of affirmation and giddy murmurs from the girls. That’s when Sabine piped up. 

**“Absolutely not. These hotels will charge you an arm and a leg and then some! You girls are welcome to stay here as long as you need it. I certainly enjoy the lively company!” **At this, the girls started refusing.

**“We can’t just impose on you like that. But...if you really are willing to house us, then at least take this as compensation.” **Ran says as she searches through her purse and pulls out 500,000 Yen in a large stack. 

“**This should be roughly around 4,000 Euro.”** At the sight of this, Tom refused. 

**“Nonsense. You’re not imposing, you’re friends of my daughter. She’s a very good judge of character, so if she helped you, then I know we can trust you.” **Ran looked like she was going to refuse further when Sabine’s motherly instincts could take no more of this. 

**“If you really feel that strongly, then after we go to the bank to exchange that for Euro, you can use that money to pay for the extra groceries, if you insist on using it. After all, I won’t have children go hungry or cold under my care.”**

After soaking all this in, Himari spoke up, surprisingly serious. **“You really trust us, huh?” **As she looked down at the table, a dark shadow crossed her face, but it seemed to clear up after a moment. 

**“Moca-chan feels gross and sticky, can she use your bath?”** Everyone’s faces stalled for a moment as they registered what had just happened. The girls chuckled and Tom and Sabine smiled fondly. 

**“Of course you can. Its upstairs, first door on the left,”** said Tom, as he gestured. 

**“Thank you, sir.” **Ran said, as she and Moca headed upstairs. Marinette flashed a look of concern. 

**“Why is Ran also heading with Moca? Does Moca need help bathing?” **At this, Himari and Tsugumi looked confused, while Tomoe just blinked. It was ultimately Tsugumi who replied. 

**“Don’t you bathe with your friends?” **At this, Marinette turned beat red, thinking of bathing with her friends. 

**“Why would I?! T-that’s really embarrassing!” **The Afterglow girls were all looking really confused. 

**“Really? We thought it was normal.” **Himari replied. Tom spoke up. 

**“I think it may just be a cultural difference, girls.”** At that, there was a general murmur of agreeance that resounded through the table.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe just a short one. Also, to those who have read this previously, I went and added back the second chapter, cause I was a dummy and forgot to post it, lol.  
More MocaRan time (They're my favorite ship, deal)

After a few minutes struggling to get the shower working, and then a little while longer trying to figure out how to fill up the tub, Moca and Ran sat in the tub and thought over the past few days. It'd been a whirlwind. Simply put, Ran was still concerned at how fast Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng had allowed them to stay in their home. It was that kindness that she struggled with accepting, her life so far having taught her that everyone wants something. Nothing comes for free. She knew the only ones she could count on were her girls, her Moca. Oddly enough, she didn't feel strange calling Moca hers. They've been together since forever, why can't she call Moca hers? She was startled out of her head when Moca leaned her head back against her shoulder, having sat in front of Ran. **"Mouuu, Ran-chan, don't ignore sweet 'lil Moca-chan! Moca-chan was saying something very important ya know!"** Considering her tone of voice, Ran knew the chances of that being true to be slim. Reaching down to pull the hair out of Moca's eyes, Ran smiles at her, her red orbs meeting that breathtaking blue.

**"_Gomen, _Moca. I was lost in thought. What were you saying before?" **Smiling softly, she strokes Moca's hair gently, wondering when it was that they got to be so affectionate with one another. Sure, all the girls in the band were affectionate, but she and Moca had something...different going on. She just didn't know what.

**"-hat do you think sounds better? Aoba Ran, or Mitake Moca?" **Startled and surprised, Ran yells.

**"MOCA! WHAT THE HELL?!"** This earned her a full-belly laugh from Moca, who received a glare for her efforts. She didn't put any malice in it. She was shocked, not actually angry. **"Geez Moca, where did that come from?" **Moca simply gave a quiet smile.

**"_Mouuu, _Ran-chan! You've been married to poor Moca for ten years and you still haven't decided on our last name?" **Playfully sniffling, Moca gave her a look that shot electricity straight down her spine. That was a look she reserved for when limited time bread came on sale at the Yamabuki Bakery. A look of pure want. She was sure Moca could hear the pounding of her heart. 

**"We were six Moca! T-that doesn't count. It's not the real thing!" **Jumping, she realized Moca had raised her hand to wipe the tears off her face that she hadn't realized she'd shed. Widening her eyes like she just realized something major, Moca speaks up, this time all serious, with her playful lilt being replaced by complete awe.

**"Moca-chan loves Ran-chan." **Seeing Ran was going to get the wrong idea, she kept on. **"_Daisuke-nai, _Ran-chan_._ _Aishteru._**_**"**_ She said, her voice never rising beyond a whisper. Something snapped inside of Ran, she curled up and buried her face in Moca's neck, not saying anything. Worried, but knowing her Ran-chan, she just needed time to get her thoughts in order. After the point where the water began to cool down, some thirty minutes later, Ran finally muttered

**"_Aishteru, Moca." _**Hearing this sent Moca's heart soaring through the clouds. She was so, so happy, that she needed to tease Ran about it.

**"Ohh~? You love Moca-chan? Does that mean Moca-chan gets a kiss from her Ran-chan~?" **Seeing her eyes rolling in exasperation, she was satisfied with her teasing, her lazy smirk returning home on her face. What she didn't expect, however, was for Ran to sit up, pull Moca into her (currently, VERY naked) lap, and kiss her like...well, like she loved her. Moca's heart was pounding in her ears, eyes sliding closed, reaching up and wrapping her arms around Ran's neck, Ran's hands sliding around her waist. Moca's face was so bright red, she was sure she'd pass out from sheer joy. Breaking the kiss reluctantly, for the need of air, Ran leans her head against Moca's shoulder, panting, face red from exertion and embarrassment.

**"Mine."** It was so soft that Moca thought she was imagining things at first. Smiling wider, grinning really, Moca laid her head against Ran's shoulder, nipping her neck gently, earning her a growl of surprise from her...lover.

**"Mine,"** she whispered in Ran's ear softly. Getting up, Moca stretches, revealing her entire body to a quickly flushing Ran, her hips right in front of her face...and if she kept following the line of Moca's taught stomach...shaking her head to snap out of it, she stood up and pulled the drain, getting out of the bath and starting to dry off with one of the incredibly soft towels. Lazy smile back on her face, Moca starts to dry off as well and starts giggling when she sees Ran's hair all mussed up. After shrugging at the questioning look she receives from Ran, she goes back to her thoughts. It actually looks kinda nice in a...wild way. One that incites the kind of feelings Moca would have to investigate at night. Under her covers. Which she now shared with Ran. SHIT. (Were any of the other girls there privy to her thoughts, even Ran, they'd argue that she and Ran have been sharing a bed since the very beginning, even sleeping under the same sweater when they were on the street, hands clasped firmly together out of fear.) Going through the monotonous motions of getting dressed, she couldn't keep her eyes off of Ran's toned arms and legs, tactfully glancing away when Ran would turn to look at her. What she was unaware of though, was that Ran was looking at her thighs and ass, damn near drooling.

**'Why am I having these kinds of...inappropriate thoughts now?' **she wondered internally. **'Moca's always been by my side. I trust her with my life. I know I can trust her with my heart. Even...my body.' **Getting flustered, she quickly finishes up getting dressed (much to a certain ivory-haired girl's disappointment.) and leaves the room, heading downstairs to head to the bank with Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.

\---

Ever since Moca came downstairs, Tomoe has been concerned. She was quiet. Moca being quiet is only normal when she sleeps, and even then, she sleep-talks! So needless to say, a quiet Moca was not a good thing. She's been staring at the counter in front of her for the past hour. Tomoe was really starting to get worried. When Marinette, remembering how the white-haired girl reacted to the mention of bread, brought her a croissant, still warm and fluffy and flaky, Moca looked up at her, her azure eyes were clouded, lost in thought. **"Hey, I thought you might like to try some of our bread, it's fresh out the oven!"** The small wolf said, trying to cheer the smaller girl up. Moca just looked back down to the counter in front of her, mumbling something.

**"No thanks, I'm not** **hungry." **Suddenly, there was a loud clang that caused Marinette to jump. Looking over, she sees Tsugumi and Tomoe standing, eyes wide with horror, the clang presumably coming from the stools fallen behind them. Worried, she asked them,

**"I-is that...abnormal?" **This was really starting to worry her. The redhead spoke slowly, almost unbelieving.

**"Moca has never turned down bread. I've seen her eat three courses, dessert, and still eat bread when it was offered to her minutes later." **The Tiger said, still shocked.

**"Surely you're joking? She said she isn't hungry, how is it that big of a deal?" **Marinette replied.

**"Marinette-chan, she's eaten an entire stock of my family's scones before. AFTER having already eaten a dozen pieces of bread from Yamabuki Bakery." **Tsugumi says, shaking, the Dog worried about her friend. Looking to Tomoe, they both nod, walking over to Moca, lifting her up by her underarms, and dragging her to Tomoe and Himari's room.

\---

**"Moca, what's going on? You of all people turned down bread. You!"** Moca, looking up from being sat on Tomoe's bed, just forces back on her lazy smile, tension still in her eyes.

**"Tomo-chin~ Moca-chan's fine! _Zenbu itsumodori~_" **Tomoe frowned roughly.

**"Don't lie to me Moca. Stop hiding behind that plastic smile and talk to us. We're your friends. We know when something's wrong! Listen, I may not be as good at detecting when you're upset as Ran is-"** Upon hearing Ran's name, Moca flinches roughly, try as she might to hold the reaction back. Realization dawns on Tsugumi's face.

**"Did you and Ran have a fight?" **Moca just shakes her head and gives Tsugumi the most fragile smile the brunette thinks she's ever seen.

**"Moca-chan confessed. Ran accepted. But...Moca-chan isn't good enough for Ran. Ran deserves better." **When she says this, her eyes go a stormy gray, muddled with her self doubt. Snarling, Tomoe reaches forward and grabs Moca by the lapels of her shirt.

**"WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT YOU'RE WORTH EVERYTHING TO RAN?! You're the one who saved her from her shitty dad! You're the one who saved her life! Through EVERYTHING you've stayed by one another's side! So don't give me that 'she deserves better' shit! To her, you're the best she's ever gonna have, and you KNOW that's how she thinks!" **Moca doesn't know when she started crying, but she can feel the tears sliding down her face. Tomoe's right. They've been together since the very beginning. With a startled yell, Tomoe is forced to let go of Moca's shirt by the combined strength of Ran, Marinette, Himari (All three of which rushed upstairs upon hearing the commotion), and Tsugumi. Even though she was being loud, and pretty aggressive, Moca wasn't afraid. She knew her friend would never hurt her. She was doing this all to try to make her understand, after all. **"No- Let me go! Someone needs to get this through her thick skull! She needs to unders-"** and just as quickly as it started, Tsugumi, Himari, and Marinette dragged Tomoe out of the room as Ran closed the door, Himari's Bear heritage making it an easier quest than it had any right to be.

**"Moca. What the HELL happened?! And don't you DARE lie to me. You know me better than to do that." **Ran said, leveling a glare at Moca. Anyone else would've thought she was mad at them. But Moca knew all of Ran's little queues and gestures. Ran wasn't mad, just serious and curious. Sighing heavily, Moca stands up and hugs Ran, hiding her face in her girlfriend's neck.

**"Don't blame Tomo-chin, Ran-chan, Moca-chan was just being a big 'ol dummy." **Sighing, Ran wraps an arm around Moca's back, and her other hand reaches up to gently play with Moca's soft, fluffy hair.

**"_Itsumodori._" **Ran says, smiling gently.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm making up my own laws for this series cause I can fuckin do that. Don't assume the laws in this story are in any way applicable to reality. Check with your country's local law system before doing something you're worried may be legally ambiguous.

**"So...What you're trying to tell me, is that you were arguing with Moca because she thought she didn't deserve Ran?"** A bewildered Marinette asked a now-calm Tomoe.

**"More or less. You couldn't tell it by looking at her, but she really struggles with self esteem. Sure, she's cocky on the outside, but she's still just a kid. We're all just kids." **Tomoe sighs, looking over at the couch, where Moca lay asleep in Ran's lap, with a worried looking Sabine and Tom, sitting in a nearby loveseat. **"Sorry for going about things the way I did. I was just...so mad that she would see herself like this. That she would think that she isn't worthy for...for anything! Sure, Moca's on her own wavelength most of the time, but that doesn't make her a bad person or anything stupid like tha-"**

Sighing, Ran interrupts Tomoe. **"Tomoe. You're rambling." **Tomoe just blushes and looks over at Ran. She smiles softly as Ran seems to be absentmindedly stroking Moca's hair, humming one of their songs. Suddenly, Tom speaks up.

**"Ran, is she going to be okei?" **This seems to snap her out of her daze, looking up at him with this fierce look of determination, nodding.

**"Yes. Moca's always had a frail constitution. I still don't know how she's managed to get on stage with us and play time after time. She really is strong."** Rushing up, Sabine grabs a tissue and hands it to Ran, tears having fallen just a moment earlier.

**"Thank you, Mrs Dupain-Cheng."**

**"Nonsense, call me Sabine. Until you girls decide you'd like to live elsewhere, this is your home. Tom and I were talking, and we wanted to make sure you girls realize that you're always welcome here. I know that I've been enjoying the additional company, and I imagine Marinette is enjoying having another person to talk fashion with. Speaking of, Tsugumi dear, could you go check on Marinette and Himari? They both looked pretty shaken up at what happened." **Tsugumi, eyes tear stained, gives a small smile and heads upstairs to see if the girls are okei. With a grumble, Moca opens her eyes, more than a little disoriented at being on her side with a soft, comfy surface beneath her head.

**"Have a good nap Moca?" **Ran asks as she notices Moca having woken up by the sound of her breathing becoming more shallow. Wiggling, she shifts on her back to look up at Ran's fiercely protective eyes. Smiling softly, she nods. She's been giving Ran more and more of those gentle, rare smiles that Ran loves so much, recently. She's really quite glad that she's been receiving these little gifts from her...girlfriend. Her face turns red just thinking the word. Moca tries sitting up, which Ran denies with a gentle but firm hand against Moca's forehead.

**"What happened?" **She asked, still a little dazed, glad she wasn't allowed to get up.

**"You pushed yourself too hard again. You passed out from exhaustion."**

**"How long was I out?" **Blinking, Ran thought quickly. Moca doesn't refer to herself in the first person unless she's really, really scared, concerned, or angry. Always quick on her feet, Ran piped up, a sad look in her eyes.

**"Four hours. Don't worry Moca, I've been by your side this entire time." **Ran responded, after seeing the look of fear in Moca's eyes. Knowing that Moca could have that look in her eyes...it broke Ran's heart. Moca was her best friend, her soulmate, Ran was entirely sure. She was also entirely sure that having such a connection with someone terrified her. But there was no one else she'd rather be terrified with than the smart, funny, if a bit obtuse at times, Aoba Moca. Tom gives a little cough, and it's only then that Ran realizes two things. One: She's been staring into Moca's eyes for a while now, desperately lost in them. And two, as well as the more prevalent one, they were not alone in the room. Coughing, her eyes reluctantly drag away from Moca's and meet green.

**"There was...another thing...Sabine and I were talking about..." **Tom trails off a little as he goes to the chair across from them and sits down, staring off into space at the carpet beneath his feet. Sabine comes over and sits next to him, putting her hand on his arm and giving him a nod when their eyes meet. Taking a deep breath, one clearly from countless hours awake discussing an important subject, Tom continues. **"Ran. We were wondering if you would like to...become part of our family." **Perplexed, Ran raises an eyebrow, tilting her head a little in confusion.

**"What do you mean?"** Tom's eyes focus in on hers intensely. Not unfriendly, but deathly serious. Moca's noticed, it's the same look Ran has when she talks about the things she loves. They really were rather similar in a few ways.

**"I mean, Ran, that we want to adopt you."** Silence rang for a few eternity-filled-moments, as both Ran and Moca struggled to process what was just said.

**"B-but wait! What about the oth-" **Ran's panicked questioning was cut short by a gentle but firm hand held up from Tom.

**"We aren't kicking anyone out. All of you girls have grown on us all in a very short amount of time, but I refuse to say that I dislike it. All of you girls are free to stay as you wish." **Then he pauses for a moment, deliberating the words he wanted to choose next. **"What we want is to help you get away from your father. Permanently. This event you're going to is an International one, yes?" **Upon receiving positive nods, Tom continues. **"If he's as...commanding as you say he is, and I truly believe he is then I fear he'll come all the way here to try to drag you back. Sadly, as a Minor, the law would side against you in court. But there is a saving grace for you. In France, there is a law that says if a Minor has been separated from his or her parents or guardian for a year, then another person may adopt them. There are qualifications for the adopting parents, but I've already made sure we fit those qualifications."**

Ran stared, dumbfounded, at Tom, and looked over at Sabine, eyes still wide in shock, seeking confirmation. Sabine simply nodded, a smile stretched across her face.

**"We spent hours talking it over. Not in that either of us was against it, just that there were a lot of logistics to go over and consider." **Sabine said, looking from Ran, to Moca, and back again. **"Please, take your time to thi-"** Before Sabine can even finish her sentence, Ran blurts out in a panic.

**"Y-yes! Please!"** Then, noticing she cut off Sabine, who just replied with an amused smile, she flushed brightly and covered her face, apologizing profusely. Reaching over, Sabine grabs Ran's hand and squeezes it lovingly. Tom visibly perks up.

**"Speaking of logistics, since it seems you girls will be staying a while," **At that, Ran noted she could detect pure joy in his voice, with some elation added on. **"You will need to start attending school. We can get you enrolled and have some supplies for you by Monday. Does that sound good?" **Ran broke into a silent sob, which caused Moca to turn in to her best friend and hug her slightly uncomfortably, but it was worth it to comfort her Ran. She noticed as Ran shifted, assuming she was being handed another tissue. As feet come thunking down the steps, Tomoe, Tsugumi, Himari, and Marinette come into the Dupain-Cheng living room asking what's going on. Sabine quickly fills them all in on what happened and it's decided unanimously, and unspoken, for everyone to hug Ran, her friends congratulating her and thanking Sabine and Tom for helping them out so much.

\--- One Week Later - Monday ---

Sitting at the dining table, all six girls, Tom and Sabine, were discussing matters over breakfast. **"Ya know...I've probably already asked this question, but... why help us out so much? I really am grateful, I just... I didn't think people that nice...existed." **Ran asked, staring at her bread solemnly. At this, the other girls of Afterglow went quiet, even Moca, in a silence of agreement to the question.

**"Well, the way I see it, is if I can help, I want to do everything I can. You girls are kind and respectful, and passionate. Even after everything you've been through. I went through a kind of...similar experience growing up. It took me well into my adulthood, with the help of the best woman in the world, to help me get past a lot of what I went through. I won't lie to you girls, it won't ever go completely away. But if I can prevent anyone from needlessly suffering, I will." **Tom said, never taking his eyes off of the dishes he was washing. It was Tomoe who spoke up next.

**"Wow, Mr. D-C, that's...really awesome of you. The world really could use more people like you." **This caused Tom to smirk.

**"The paradox of it all, little one, is that if there were more people like me in the world, we wouldn't need more people like me in the world. The bright side of it all is that I'm needed, and I'm happy to say that I can help." **Marinette checked the time and jumped up, grabbing her bag, making the others grab theirs as well.

**"We'll actually be early if we leave now!" **Marinette said, cause Moca to smile her lazy smile.

**"Ohh~ Mari-chan's usually late, _ne~?"_ **Moca says as she starts the train of girls behind Marinette leaving the bakery. The other girls laugh at the irony of Moca teasing someone for being late to something. Right as Marinette reaches the door, they hear Sabine call out.

**"Don't forget I packed you girls lunch in your bags!"** Marinette smiled. She loved her parents so, so much. She was so lucky to have them.

**"Thanks, _Maman!_ We won't forget!" **Marinette replies leading the group of girls out the door and on the walk to school.

\--- A Little While Later, On The Walk ---

**"Yknow Marinette, it's kinda cool that we get to walk to school. Growin' up, we always saw the kids outside the orphanage walk to school and we were kinda jealous. Our orphanage had the school in the same building, so all we really did was go up to the second floor." **Tomoe said, hands behind her head, drumsticks in her pocket. All the girls had brought their instruments in one form or another. Tomoe brought her drumsticks (**"They're lucky!"**), Tsugumi brought her folder that had her sheet music and keyboard tabs on it, Moca, Ran, and Himari brought their guitars after Tom had already cleared it with the school when they were enrolling. Tsugumi nodded and said,

**"Mm. But it is kinda strange not having to wear a uniform. This school is really lenient!" **Marinette tried to imagine what their school life had been like, but only scary pictures popped up and she didn't want to dwell on those for long.

**"I'm really happy I get to have you all around! You girls really seem to liven things up! Often I spend way too much time on the walk to school stuck in my thoughts." **Ran nodded gently, she could relate, Marinette realized. **"Oh! There's the school! C'mon, Alya's gonna be so confused when I get there before she does!" **As they start jogging up to the school, Tomoe gives Marinette a questioning look. **"My best friend! When I first started here, there was this nasty girl named Chloe Bourgeois that was being rude and she stood up for herself and me. She really is the best, you'll see!" **After navigating the maze that is the interior of the school, which took them a bit longer than it would've if not for the faces of her party looking around in awe and curiosity at everything. She wouldn't hold it against them though, she figures if she were in their shoes, she'd be much the same way. Opening the class door, they were greeted with Alya, maybe ten paces away, eyes wide in shock.

**"MARINETTE?! EARLY?! Oh gods the world is gonna end!" **She says with a laugh, and before she can tease Marinette for the face of horror on her friend's face, she noticed the girls who were behind her, who moved in and circled her protectively, an unspoken agreement that they were to keep Marinette safe, Tomoe at the front, since she was the tallest. **"Uh, Mari, who're your...friends? Bodyguards?" **Distraught at being practically buried by her friends, Marinette pushes her way forward with no small amount of difficulty.

**"Ugh, guys, this is who I was talking to you about!" **At this, Ran steps forward into Alya's space with a fierce glint in her eye.

**"You mean that Chloe girl?" **At this, Alya snorts. She thinks she's figured this out by now.

**"Gods no, don't lump me into the same category as that cretin. Alya Cesaire, a pleasure to meet you...?" **In a split second, Ran's expression cools off, not exactly smiling, but Moca could tell, she was happy.

**"Mitake Ran. These are my friends Aoba Moca," **was Alya mistaken, or was there a hint of hearts in her eyes as she looked to the white-haired girl, who was smiling lazily with a look all over her that screamed 'slothly.' She made a mental note to investigate that later. **"Udagawa Tomoe, Uehara Himari, and Hazawa Tsugumi. We've transferred in today, we're staying with Marinette." **Ran said, purposefully leaving off the bit about the adoption. She may be Marinette's friend, but she didn't know how much Marinette trusted her or wanted her to know of her home life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe, as usual, being a Megabitch. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm too filled with hatred of her to not go with the consequences of her actions that she brought upon herself.
> 
> The Afterglow girls wear their Phase 2 outfits, with the Afterglow hoodie on.
> 
> Also fictional albinism coming next chapter (trigger warning for bullying, I don't want no one to be hurt cause of something I'm writing. Be safe and smart y'all)
> 
> Decided to do two in one day cause I just got in the zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://bandori.fandom.com/wiki/Mitake_Ran  
https://bandori.fandom.com/wiki/Aoba_Moca  
https://bandori.fandom.com/wiki/Uehara_Himari  
https://bandori.fandom.com/wiki/Udagawa_Tomoe  
https://bandori.fandom.com/wiki/Hazawa_Tsugumi

As the bell rang, the girls all sat in the booth seats the classroom had, two to a table; Moca and Ran, Himari and Tomoe, and Tsugumi sat with a really nice red-haired boy, who's name she learned was Nathaniel. As more students filed into the room, they were met with curious glances and outright stares. Moca and Ran, sitting up front, got the brunt of the staring, what with their outfits and hair. Just as it seemed the flow of students stopped, two girls stopped in front of them, one a cheap-looking blonde with her hair in a ponytail, too much spray tan and colors of clothing so bright they'd rival _PasuPare _for sheer light intensity. Looking over, Ran notices she has a friend, a meek, but rather rude _kouhai_. She had red hair, closer to orange than red, really, dressed at least better than her counterpart.

**"What're you doing in my spot? You must be new here to think you can sit here." **Seeming satisfied, she steps to the side and indicates to the girls in the seat to leave it. More than a little annoyed at her tone, Ran keeps eye contact with her and stands up, but makes no move to leave.

**"Sorry, didn't realize this school has assigned seats, they should mark them properly if they're going to assign them."** From behind them, Marinette stands up and says,

**"There's no assigned seats, Chloe! Don't go bulling the new students!" **At hearing her name, Chloe turns to talk more shit to Marinette, so she misses the look of unrestrained anger Ran has in her eyes for a moment. Luckily, Moca sees it and grabs Ran's hand, tugging her down and rubbing gentle circles into her hand, causing Ran to calm down and very lightly blush. Having been interrupted from yelling at Marinette by the sound of Ran sitting harshly, Chloe whirled around on the two girls.

**"Didn't I say get up?! Well?" **Ran just glares at her cooly (Moca loves when Ran has that look) and raises her eyebrow. 

**"If there's no assigned seats than you two should find your own. Why should we have to give up our seats just because we were early enough to sit here?" **Ran said.

**"Ugh, listen to me, my daddy's the mayor and all it will take is one call t-" **She's cut off by Madame Bustier walking into the room, leveling an annoyed look at Chloe.

**"All it takes is one call to do what, Ms. Bourgeois? Surely you aren't suggesting he take actions against girls who've only just got here, over a seat? He's a very busy man, so I'm sure he could do without your petty complaints." **This earned a number of chuckles throughout the class, Moca giggling full bore. **"Ms. Bourgeois, please find a seat, class is beginning." **With a grumble and a murmur, Chloe stalks off to the back of the classroom to find a seat. With this, Madame Bustier taps the chalk on the blackboard to get everyone's attention. **"Alright class, listen up! I've two bits of news to share. First, Mr. Agreste will be unable to make it to class today due to having a photoshoot lasting until 6 pm. Secondly, as I'm sure you've all figured out by now, we've new transfer students. Girls, why don't you stand up and introduce yourselves, tell us something about you?"** Moca, surprisingly, decides to stand first.

**"Aoba Moca-chan! Reporting for duty~ Moca-chan is called Moca-chan~ Moca-chan plays the guitar in our band, Afterglow! She also really loves _pan_." **With a quick elbow from Ran, Moca realizes her mistake as she glances at the confused faces around her. **"Oh, uh, Bread! _Pan_ is bread and bread is _pan_~" **This explanation sends a few laughs through the class. Next, Ran stands up.

**"Mitake Ran. Call me Ran. I'm the singer of our band, and I play guitar as well. I like bitter things." **With a short bow, she sits back down. Next is Tomoe, who stands up to a few gasps of some of the guys in the class at her sheer height.

**"My name's Udagawa Tomoe, nice to meet you all! Call me Tomoe, or whatever works for you best. I'm the drummer in Afterglow, and I like Ramen." **Elegantly, she plops back down into her seat as Himari beside her stands.

**"My name is Uehara Himari, it's wonderful to be here! Call me Himari-chan! I'm the bassist of Afterglow and I really love fashion! I made our band's clothes and gear!" **Smiling widely, she sits back down, as behind her, Tsugumi stands.

**"H-hello, my name is Hazawa Tsugumi. I'm very thankful for being here. Call me Tsugumi! I'm the keyboardist for Afterglow and I really love taking a bath after a long hard day's work!" **Bowing, she sits gently in her seat. She's happy she didn't startle the redheaded boy sitting next to her. Madame Bustier stands from her seat and smiles.

**"That was lovely, girls, thank you for sharing. Since having a transfer student, let alone five of them from Japan, is such a rare experience for us all, I wanted to have a bit of a cultural exchange today. We'll pick up with our maths class tomorrow, however." **This earned a cheer from the class. As the excitement settled, the red-headed boy, Nathaniel raised his hand, something the girls found odd. Madame Bustier nodded to him.

**"Um, how do you mean, Madame Bustier? What exactly is it we're doing?" **This earned him a smile from the teacher. Nath was one of her more quiet students for sure, but he always did well and he was always nice to everyone he met.

**"I'm really happy you asked that Nath. Since the new girls come from such a different background compared to you or your classmates, even beyond culturally, I figured it would be a fun idea to get to know each other's culture better. What do you say, girls?" **To which she received confirmatory nods.

**"All right girls, first we're gonna have you all come on down and write something about you that you find to be different, or think is different here." **Standing up, all the girls shuffled down to the board and one by one wrote something. 'Bowing', 'Kouhai & Senpai', '-Chan, -San, -Kun', 'Names', and 'Keigo'. Once they were all finished, the girls explained why they wrote what they did. Ran went first.

**"Names. It seems people here say their names backward. In Japan, we put our last names first, and after that, our first names." **This received a raised hand, which the teacher nodded at. The big, bulky boy spoke.

**"But isn't the way you do it backward, or confusing?" **Ran wasn't upset by this, instead, she responded calmly.

**"No more backward or confusing to you how you view and write your name."** This caused the boy to think, then nod, with a delicate smile. Next up was Moca.

**"Chan, San, Kun! Moca-chan finds these words lacking here. Chan is used for someone who's younger than you, or even the same age as you, or even when someone is especially cute, like Moca-chan~ San is what you call someone older than you, or to show respect. Kun is used a lot like Chan~" **This caused a girl to raise her hand, the one who was sitting next to the big boy from before. Again, she was granted permission.

**"So, how do you know when to use Kun or when to use Chan?" **Moca-chan puts a finger to her chin for a moment to think, before she responds.

**"Chan is used for a girl, or a really adorable boy, while Kun is used for a boy, or a cool girl~" **The teacher, hearing it, saw faces light up in understanding throughout the class, causing her to smile, she loved when she saw that look of understanding on a student's face. After Moca was Tomoe, smiling widely and walked to the middle of the class, always one to make a bold impression.

**"Senpai and Kouhai. A Senpai is someone who's older than you, or in a higher position than you in a job. Kouhai is the exact opposite, someone younger than you or in a lower position than you in a job. While Chan, and Kun, are used for more informal, personal relationships, Senpai and Kouhai are typically more professional than that." **Stepping back, she went and tagged Tsugumi on the shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she walked forward.

**"Keigo. It refers to a way of speaking to someone with respect. The same way you all seem to call your teachers by their last name, in deference to your usual standards for interacting with people, it's much the same. Chan and Kun are not Keigo, but Senpai, Kouhai, and San are all Keigo. Keigo is typically something you use when working or when talking to someone you met for the first time, or simply don't know very well." **Sighing, she stepped back and wished Himari good luck. Boisterous and proud, Himari steps forward.

**"Bowing! Adding on to what the others said, it's to show respect. It also is used as part of an apology, or a sign of loyalty. If your Senpai bows to you, you bow deeper. I've always really enjoyed it!" **With that, Madame Bustier sends the girls back to their seats and starts telling them of the things that France differs from Japan on.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Added a few lines and some grammar fixes to the last chapter! Sorry about that, I was just really excited to get you all two chapters in one day!
> 
> CW for some slight gay-bashing by Chloe, but retribution is had, my friends.

As the lunch bell rang, Moca stretched her arms high into the air, a little squeak escaping past her lips. Ran smiled at her, her rare, soft smile, reserved only for her band-mates and closest friends. At the sound of the approach of Marinette and the inquisitive girl named Alya, Ran's carefully constructed mask slid back into place. Grabbing Moca's hand, much to the ivory-haired girl's joy, she walked with Marinette and the rest of her band-mates to what she could see was a lunchroom, filled with all sorts of people hanging around, talking, eating, and just generally being relaxed. Marinette had told the girls what, generally, to expect when coming to school. Smiling, Marinette led the girls to the table that already had two of her friends sitting there, looking up curiously at her as she approached with this large group of punk-rock girls. Stopping in front of the table, Marinette stepped to the side to introduce her new friends with her school friends.

**"Girls, these are my friends Nino Lahiffe, Juleka Couffaine, Rose Lallivant, and Alix Kubdel,"** Marinette said, pointing to each person and earning a nod from each of them. **"Guys, these are my new roommates and friends." **Marinette finished, the girls each in turn giving their own greeting. **"Is it cool if they eat with us? They don't really know many people here." **Looking between each other with a smile, the friends at the table acquiesced.

**"Sure thing Mari! Any friend of yours is a friend of ours." **Nino responded, the happy Omega boy patting the seat next to him, which to the shock of Ran, was taken up not by Marinette, but by Alya. The Alpha girl had been staying to the back of the group as introductions were made. Ignoring her suspicions, she sat down with Moca beside her to her right, then Tsugumi, then Tomoe, then Himari, Juleka, Rose, Alix, Nino, Alya, and finally Marinette to Ran's left, and Alya's right, at the round table. Ran had completely forgotten about having held Moca's hand until Moca gave a small squeeze, having already opened her lunchbox one-handed and started digging into her pastry, filled with joy. Smiling to herself, Ran opened her box one-handed and almost felt herself tear up at what lay before her. Someone must've told Mrs. Dupain-Cheng - Sabine, Ran corrected mentally - her love of bitter things, as some of her favorite foods in the world were laid out in this small, mellow box, including some rich, bitter chocolate. With a whispered **'Itadakimasu'**, she joined her friends in eating, listening as they made casual conversation, she herself never having been one for talking mindlessly. Somehow, she seems to have drifted off, being lost in the memories of the past week's events. She barely noticed when Marinette nudged her, snapping her out of the reverie.

**"-an, well, what's your answer?"** Shaking her head briefly to clear her head and responded.

**"Sorry, I was lost in thought. What was it you were asking?" **Marinette, not minding having to repeat what Nino said, responded.

**"Nino wanted to know why you and Moca are eating with one hand." **Startled into realization, Moca blushed furiously and looked away, even Ran blushing some. But, as always, Moca was quick with her response.

**"Moca-chan is a great multitasker~ She can eat with one hand and write notes with the other~ It's Moca-chan's special superpower~" **The rest of the table stopped for a moment, before breaking out in laughter at the girl's antics. Ran gave her hand a squeeze under the table in a gesture of thanks. Moca squeezed back gently, understanding. Then she felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise and looked up, seeing Alya looking back and forth between her and Moca, a discerning glint in her eye.

**"Ohoho~? Is that so? If that's the case, why don't you both pull your hands above the table, so we can see the notes you're working on Moca? The question does remain as to why Ran isn't using her other hand however~." **Ran felt Moca's hand twitch, an unconscious action. Moca knew Ran was reluctant about people knowing about their relationship, for they'd all seen how couples like them were treated back home. Ran was scared, and Moca didn't blame her. The rest of the Afterglow girls even peered over, breaking from their own side conversations to see what was going on. Ran took a deep breath, and with her face steeled in a carefully placed mask of indifference, pulled her hand up, with Moca's still clasped with hers, and placed them onto the table with a thunk. This caused Alya to squeal in excitement.

**"Oh, I KNEW something was going on between you two! You've been really really close to each other since you walked in the classroom! Not to mention your obvious attachment to one another!" **Alya practically yelled. Marinette tried to calm her loudmouthed friend down.

**"Alya! Please, quiet down before Bitchosaurus Rex-"** At this, the entire table looked at her in unison, disbelief clearly written on their faces. **"What, I can dislike her all I want. Anyway, I was going to say before she comes over, but I guess it's too late for that." **Marinette said with a sigh, nodding backward towards where one blonde gremlin and her red-headed minion were making their way over to them, drawn to the loud noise like vultures to corpses. Upon arriving, Chloe saw Ran and Moca's hands clasped together affectionately and pretended to gag.

**"Ugh, how gross are you girls gonna get? First, you're delinquents and now you're gay? What's next, are you gonna tell us that you live under a rock or on the street?" **Chloe said with an exasperated sound that sounded more at home to an owner scolding their pet than to someone speaking to another human. Livid, fire dancing in her eyes, Ran stood up so quickly that her chair clattered back onto the floor, drawing the attention of the entire lunchroom. Before she could so much as take a step forward, Tomoe was there, pinning the loudmouthed blonde against the nearby support beam, forearm to her throat, eyes alight with a furious, boiling rage. At the choking, near gagging sound Chloe emitted, Tomoe spoke up.

**"Say WHATEVER you like about me, but don't EVER talk shit about my friends, EVER. Is that CLEAR?!" **Tomoe yelled into her face, almost shaking in rage. **"Being gay isn't disgusting or gross! How DARE you insult my friends, or anyone, for who they love?! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT?!" **Tomoe screamed at her, their faces so close that she could see her own rage-covered eyes in the reflection of the pompous blonde's. Suddenly her hair was yanked on, by the red-head minion of the blonde. Before she could so much as give any attention to the girl, Himari, in all her pink-haired glory, yelled out.

**"HOE NO YOU DIDN'T!" **and damn near tackled the girl pulling Tomoe's hair. At this, the rest of the Afterglow girls, plus Marinette and Alya, went to pull Tomoe off of Chloe while Nino tried to pull Himari and Sabrina apart, getting pretty banged up from Himari's whaling that Sabrina attempted to hide behind Nino to dodge. When Nino finally was successful in his goal, he looked over to see that the girls had successfully pulled Tomoe from Chloe and, with great difficulty, was pulling her back to their table.

**"Get the fuck out of here! IF ALL YOU CAN DO IS BE A BITCH TO OTHERS THEN FUCKING LEAVE!" **Tomoe screamed. When Chloe opened her mouth to retort, Tomoe interrupted her. **"I said get The FUCK OUT!" **As the girls sat her down at the table, winded, Tomoe finally gave up on pursuing Chloe. The entire cafeteria was silent, not even the sound of people eating wafting through the air. Then, suddenly, the entire cafeteria roared with applause, everyone coming over to Tomoe and Himari, hugging them, thanking them, a few even were crying in joy, at these girls putting a stop to Chloe's reign of terror. After everything settled down, Moca had an idea, a way to clear the air of the aggression and fear that clogged the air like bad marijuana, she could see a few people were already gagging on it. She pulled out her guitar and motioned for the others to do the same. Nino called out to his friend Luka, the Beta came over with his portable speakers and the girls set up. Tomoe was able to set up some rudimentary drums. Together they stood on a connection of three tables and played one of their songs, the cafeteria's acoustics being a lot better than Ran thought they might be.


	8. Taking A Break: Day 1

As the group of girls left the classroom, a sigh of reprieve sounded out throughout the hallways. Class after lunch had been pretty daunting due to a quiz that popped up in history, that thankfully the Afterglow girls got bonus credit on their grades for even completing. Thoroughly exhausted, the girls, minus Marinette's friends, after saying goodbye started on their way home. As the sunset lines the sky, a quiet murmur of appreciation passes through the Afterglow girls, causing Marinette to turn to the girls, a question on the tip of her tongue. Moca interrupts her before she can voice it.

**"_Ne~_ Mari-chan, isn't it pretty?~" **Moca said as she pointed to the sky, the sun almost tipping below the horizon. As Marinette turned around to really admire the red-orange-yellow of the sky, she missed Moca shooting a look back to Ran, who returned her look with her own relieved look. As the girls continued on their way towards their home, Marinette leads them into a different walkway, one leading to an open, spacious park. Tomoe spoke up.

**"Marinette, why aren't we headed back home?"** Marinette turned around, her eyes shining brightly.

**"Paris is really beautiful! Especially the parks! There's so much to see, even at night. The lights make it seem like the trees themselves are alive, it's a sight that I wouldn't want any of you to miss!"** Tomoe just raised an eyebrow, then smirked. Marinette, confused, followed her gaze past her, as she turned around and saw Adrien Agreste, just finishing up his photoshoot, talking to a tall woman with a tablet in her hand and a stern look on her face. Suddenly, it seemed like Adrien noticed Marinette, as he gave a wave over at her, causing her to turn scarlet, and turn back around.

**"So, 'the beauty of Paris' _ne?_ I have to assume that's the boy you have a crush on. Putting in the fact that his name and face have been plastered all over town, along with his absence in class and with his photoshoot over there, its Adrien Agreste." **Tomoe said, laughing when Marinette just hid her face in her hands. Himari burst to the front of their group, having been talking with Tsugumi when she heard the word 'crush'. After that, it was all over. Even the sweetheart Himari noticed this boy's face all over town, through billboards, commercials, and flyers. The small bear grabbed Marinette's shoulders, a dangerously bright gleam in her eye.

**"You like him?!" **She said loud enough to cause a few heads to turn their direction from over by the photoshoot area, making Marinette cringe.

**"H-hush! D-Don't be so loud! I'll do anything, please, let's just go."** Much like Himari, Moca's rabbit ears perked up at the conversation, for an entirely different reason. Her ears caught on the phrase 'I'll do anything' and that's when she left Ran's side, in the middle of her sentence no less, to come nose to nose with Marinette with a smirk that Marinette could only call _evil_ on her face.

**"_Mou_, Hii-chan, don't bully poor Mari-chan." **That earned her an outraged but noticeably muffled scream from Himari. Glancing over, Marinette saw both Tomoe and Tsugumi desperately clamping their hands over Himari's mouth as she screamed at the hypocrisy of it all. Eyeing Ran, she saw the girl with only a raised eyebrow leveled at Moca, clearly suspicious of what was happening. **"She's clearly embarrassed over having a crush, let's go home~ After all," **She said, glancing back at Ran with a look that screamed 'scheme'. **"You said you'd do anything, right Mari-chan?" **Clearly having been intimidated by Moca, Marinette only nodded once. Instantly, Moca's sleepy, happy look came back as she started to walk back to their home, almost leaving the others behind. Marinette noticed Ran was the first to catch up to Moca, talking with her in Japanese, Marinette assumed, so that she wouldn't understand what was being said. Staring dumbly at what had just happened, the girls were getting further and further away, before Tsugumi turned around and called out to Marinette.

**"Mari-chan! C'mon! Your mom is gonna worry about why we've taken so long to get home!" **Shaking out of her stupor, Marinette started running to catch up, yelling back.

**"I'm coming!"**

\---

**"So, are all of you as close as Moca and Ran are to one another?" **Marinette asked. Currently, all of them were spending their weekend at a park, eating together with Marinette's friends, Moca and Ran absent due to helping out with her parent's bakery. At the question, all of the Afterglow girls burst into various degrees of blushing, the heaviest being Tsugumi, the lightest being Tomoe. It's the tallest girl who speaks up.

**"Uhm, no, not quite to the... the degree that they are. We're all best friends but...They're something...more than that." **At this answer, Marinette only tilts her head, confused. Realizing how oblivious her friend is, Alya steps in, astonished.

**"_Mon Dieu, _Mari, you LIVE with them and you couldn't figure out they're dating? I knew you were oblivious, but I didn't think you were clueless. Honestly," **Alya says with a smirk. **"I'm surprised you haven't heard anything from their room.****"** At the blank stares she gets from Marinette, Tsugumi, and Himari, Alya nearly screams. **"Seriously?! I'm surrounded by the innocent!" **Glancing at Tomoe and her own boyfriend, Nino, she's happy that judging by the red dusting their cheeks that they understood what she meant. Suddenly, she gets an idea, and sprouts a smirk on her face akin to the one Moca gave Marinette last week when they were in the park. **"You knoooow Mari, we have a week break coming up, and my aunt owns a little home-away-from-home in the countryside. Maybe we can have a group study session there. We could even help show the girls more about what makes France so great." **Having been friends with Mari for as long as she has been, she knows just the things to say to get her to agree to something. 1) Call it a study session, so she doesn't think Alya's planning something. 2) Use bonding as an excuse to get Mari's guard down. 3) Talk about her love for France. The girl's a little weak in her defenses, but her being so open and loving is what makes Marinette such a great friend.

Perking up at her friend Alya's plan, Marinette smiles brightly. **"Oh, that's such a wonderful plan Alya!****"** She says, hugging Alya. Nino is the only one who catches her devious smirk, making him sigh. **'Gonna be a long, long week.'**

\---

With Tom's help, the van was packed up rather quickly. He insisted the girls take their instruments with them on the week-long vacation from school, knowing their instruments meant a lot to the girls. Not only was it the thing that helped cement their relationship, without their instruments, the girls would still be on the streets. The others tried to help, but Tom insisted that since he was the one who brought it up, he should be the one to pack it in the van. Smiling, he shut the van's bay door, going around to the front and sliding into the driver's seat. Tsugumi was sitting up front with him, much to Marinette's insistence. Looking up into the hand mirror, he checked that everyone was in.

Nino was in Adrien's lap, which made Alya wolf-whistle at them, whilst Marinette was still her usual blushing self, though doubly so as she was in Alya's lap. Himari was in Tomoe's lap, animatedly discussing something with the taller girl, constantly nearly bouncing out of Tomoe's lap. Next to them, Moca was in Ran's lap, nuzzling into her neck, purring. But what was different about the couple was that instead of Ran blushing, muttering something about Moca being embarrassing, the girl was wearing a look of victory, and happiness, slowly stroking Moca's head, humming one of their songs. With a quick sniff, it was obvious to more experienced noses that most of his new girls were fully Presenting. He knew stress and hormones were in store for them, and could only wish them luck mentally. At seeing the microcosm of life that was his children, he burst into laughter. Yes, these were his children, whether or not they were his from birth didn't matter, he cared about all of them as if they were his own. Everyone always said he had a big heart, and he couldn't help but agree with them. Soon, the entire van was lit up in laughter as all the others joined in, for their own varying reasons. Wiping a tear of mirth from his eyes, he made sure all his kids were safe and secure, then drove off to drop them all off, smiling for the entire ride.

\---

After unpacking the van, and saying their goodbyes, the group of friends walked through the house, admiring the many, many rooms. The house was three stories, with enough rooms for them each to stay in their own room while still leaving room for even more people. Heaving a happy sigh, Alya was the first to speak up. **"Nice, isn't it? Alright ladies and gents, let's go drop off our stuff in the rooms. Actually,****" **She said, locking eyes with Moca. She'd told the ivory-haired girl earlier that week that she wanted to talk with her about a plan to get Marinette and Adrien together, which Moca was plenty happy to help with, calling herself **'Angel of Love, Cupid Moca-chan'. ****"Moca, could you stay down here with me? I wanna show you a really nice pastry recipe. I know how much you like sweet things."** Looking at Moca, she could see the happiest smile the girl had ever worn around her. With a quick look over to Ran, who simply laughed and nodded, she came over to Alya the quickest she's moved since the day at the park where Alya had told them of this house. Walking over to Nino, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. **"Sorry sweetheart, could I ask you to take my things to our room?" **Nino did a double-take. He hadn't expected her to want to share a room with him. Coughing into his fist to quickly hide his surprise, he nodded, grabbing her bags.

**"Sure thing, babe. I'll probably be a while, gotta set up my music stuff."** Nodding once to his girlfriend, he started off upstairs to their shared room. That's when Adrien piped up.

**"Alya, do you mind if I stayed and watched? I've been wanting to know how to bake for a little bit, but Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng are a little intimidating with how good they are at baking. I hope that doesn't upset you Marinette." **Alya looked at Moca, who just shrugged, lazy smile back on her face from her earlier excitement. Meanwhile, Marinette was bursting into metaphorical flames.

**"N-not at all! I get w-what you neam, uh, mean. _Maman_ and _Papa_ are really tood at gasting things, uh I mean, good at tasting things. Yup! Good!" **Alya mentally facepalmed at her friend's word vomit. Luckily for her, she has two friends by her side working to get her together with Adrien. Speaking of, Adrien just laughed, enjoying how silly Marinette was.

**"Sure thing Adrien, I don't mind helping you too. Marinette, there's a room on the third floor with a really pretty view of the lake, why don't you take that room?"** Mentally thanking Alya for rescuing her from her near-brain-death from talking to Adrien, she nods, gives her a quick thanks, and heads upstairs with her bags.** "Now, with all the pieces in play, it's time to start this game."**


	9. Taking a Break: Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To apologize to people for not updating recently, I've decided to make this an exxxxxtra long one. It's spicy folks.  
I wasn't updating cause I was sick btw (Still am, but eh, details)
> 
> Update: Adding in a few bits here and there to not have gaps in some of the phrasing

**"So, Moca" **Alya said, as she dusted her hands off on her apron after having put the bread they'd made into the oven. **"Got any clues what to do about our subjects?" **Moca thought for a moment. They'd been talking in code the entire time since Adrien was around them, but really, it wasn't needed, he seemed to be pretty clueless to anyone being mentioned till their name was brought up. Smirking, she nodded back to Alya.

**"Moca-chan thinks we should do Truth or Dare. What about Alya-chan?" **This made Alya giggle. Moca really loved giving people nicknames.

**"Well, I was thinking we'd break into the wine cellar for some fun, but I definitely think that we can come to an agreement."** Adrien was off to put his apron up, and that's when the girls struck. They went around and told everyone that in an hour's time, they would be starting up a game of truth or dare. They told Nino to tell Adrien when he came up to visit him in his and Alya's room.

\---

An hour later and everyone was downstairs in the living room, sitting in a circle, cups filled with soda (and rum), an excited buzz in the air. Adrien piped up first. **"So how do we decide who starts us off?"** Alya considered asking who had last had sex, but looking at the group, there was only one other couple who she could guess actually had ever. Smiling, she spoke.

**"Who had been kissed most recently?" **Alya raised her hand, along with Moca, Ran, Nino, and surprisingly, Adrien. This caused her to raise her brow at him. **"Romantic kisses, Agreste, not whatever the hell Chloe thinks she's doing to you." **He sighs like he's remembering a bad memory, and lowers his hand. Alya speaks up first, gesturing to each of them to do so after her. **"3 hours ago." **Then Nino.

**"2 hours ago."**

Ran. **"Yesterday."**

Moca. **"Umm at the top of the stairs." **Nino looks at her shocked.

**"You mean, like, when we just came down here like a few minutes ago?!"** He only receives a very happy looking grin from Moca, a little drool on her chin, and notices both her shuddering, and the bite mark half hidden by her shirt.

\---

Ran had stopped her at the top of the steps, letting the others go ahead of them. When she saw the rest of them down stairs, she placed her hand against Moca's chest and pushed, pressing her against the wall, and moving up directly against Moca, the intense stare in her eyes never leaving Moca's own teal orbs. Using her free hand, she held Moca's neck, pulling her against her lips. Moca let out a moan against Ran's lips, making Ran bite Moca's lower lip and pull, earning her a gasp. Taking the opening, she pushed her tongue into Moca's mouth, exploring every inch of the warm wet cave. Feeling Ran pull away, Moca tries to follow her, only to be roughly pushed back against the wall with a sharp **"Stay."** The husky quality of her voice was enough to make Moca melt. Leaning in, breathing against Moca's neck, Ran whispers into her ear. **"You're mine. If you do anything that upsets me in this little game, I'll punish you. Understand?" **Ran only receives a whimper, so she nips her neck hard enough to leave a mark, causing Moca to squeak and her body to try to get away on instinct, making Ran roughly press her against the wall and move her intense gaze back up into Moca's foggy, suffering one. **"I said.****"** Bite. **"Do you."** Nip. **"Understand?" **With a quick grind of her leg against Moca's core, Moca grabbed Ran's shoulders to keep herself standing and almost shouted.

**"Y-yes Ran! YES." **Smirking, she kissed her girlfriend's neck, right over the bite mark.

**"Good girl."** She said, pulling away, smiling at the whimper of pure _need_ Moca let out. With that, she started downstairs, throwing back a **"C'mon Moca, they're waiting for us." **Seeing the girl stumble after her down the stairs, Ran smiled. She may seem clumsy, but Moca has incredible balance, so she really isn't worried.

\---

Nino looks over at Ran, who's only looking at Moca with this fierce look of protectiveness. **"Damn, Mitake, you sure do show your passion, huh?" **Looking over at him, she simple gives him her usual blank-faced look.

**"Ran." **She replies.

**"Huh?" **Nino says, confused by what she said.

**"Call me Ran. Mitake is...That bastard's name. Don't call me that."** Raising his arms in defense, he apologized. Moving on, Alya pointed at Moca to start.

**"Mari-chan, Truth or Dare?"**

Marinette thought for a second before deciding. **"Dare." **Murmurs went around their little circle on the floor, and as Moca went to speak, they quieted down.

**"Moca-chan dares you to drink your cup in onnneee go~" **With a raised eyebrow, as if to say 'That's too easy', Marinette downed her drink in one go, but ended up coughing a bit as it burned going down. Poor girl was still under the assumption that all that was in her cup was soda.

**"Okei, now...Alya, Truth or Dare?" **

**"Oh girl, you know I'm spicy, hit me with a Dare."**

**"I dare you..."** She trails off with a little blush. **"To kiss Nino, right now." **Laughing at her innocent friend, she leans over and kisses him, surprising him some. A moment later, she's pulling back with that challenging smirk on her face.

**"Adrien, Truth or Dare?"**

**"Truth."**

Smirking, Alya asks. **"Do you have a crush on anyone?" **Asking this caused both Marinette and Adrien to splutter on thin air, blushing. Seeing this, the rest of the group exploded into laughter, most of them having already finished one drink and started on another. Looking up at Alya, he just nods, making her scream. **"I KNEW IT!" **Adrien just tries to move on as quickly as possible.

**"Ran, Truth or Dare."**

**"Truth."**

**"What is Moca to you, in your private life?" **Everyone else seemed shocked. Ran just kept eye contact with him until she turned to look at Moca, who froze staring at her like a deer in headlights.

**"She's mine. She's a good girl, always such a sweetheart. Isn't that right, little bunny?"** Everyone in the room's faces turned bright red at that, even Adrien's and Marinette's, hell, even Tsugumi and Himari's faces burned. **"Well, Moca? I asked you a question." **Another scorching glare. Not of anger, but passion.

**"Moca-chan is R-Ran-chan's." **After taking a moment to clear her head, Alya coughed into her hand and motioned for Ran to ask a question. Smirking, she looked over at Himari and locked eyes with her.

**"Himari, Truth or Dare?"**

**"Hmm....Let's go with a dare!"  
**

**"Grab Tomoe, and head to that closet for, lets say, 10 minutes." **It was Tomoe's turn to choke on her drink, coughing heavy against her fist. **"Well? There's a punishment game if you're not willing to do it." **Taking a deep breath, Himari downs her drink for added courage, grabs Tomoe's hand and heads into the closet. Alya set a timer on her phone as the door shut. Adrien spoke up, alcohol clearly having taken some effect already.

**"Ssso um..what do we do while we wait?" **Nino started looking around trying to figure something out. He listened as people started throwing out suggestions. 'Spin the bottle' was out since Ran looked ready to fight at the suggestion, Moca suggested Twister, which actually did sound fun, then they decided they might be a little drunk for that, so they might as well put on a movie and have the other two girls join them when they came out of the closet (which earned an amused snort from Moca). They finally agreed on horror, much to Moca's dismay. Alya knew why Ran fought so hard for horror to be chosen; she wanted Moca to cling to her, the little sadist. Alya was really coming to enjoy observing the red-streaked-girl. After a few minutes, Alya's alarm blared and they went and opened the closet door to find Himari pinned to the wall by Tomoe, her legs around the taller girl's waist, making out and grinding against one another. They didn't even notice when the light of the hallway shone on them. Only when someone cleared their throat did they stop, embarrassed and flushed.

As they got set up, everyone seated on the various furniture around the living room, Moca was pouting. She did not like horror movies. They reminded her too much of how she grew up, how she fought Ran's dad. They were just little girls, she shouldn't have had to fight a fully grown man. She wouldn't allow Ran to even pull her into her lap. Ran was just a meanie. As the movie started up, someone ended up turning off the lights. Snacks and drinks were passed around and they settled into a quiet as the movie began.

A good 20 minutes into the movie, the first scare happened. Moca had been determined to stay mad at Ran for making her watch a horror movie. That all but jumped out the window as Moca nearly yelled as she flew into Ran's lap, hiding her face in her girlfriend's neck. Ran just hummed and stroked her hair, causing the poor girl to stop shaking in fear. A few minutes later, Moca was able to summon the courage to peak back at the screen. Eventually, it morphed into her turning around, still in Ran's lap, watching the movie. Suddenly, Moca came up with a brilliant plan. She could get back at her mean girlfriend by teasing her till the movie ends, then escaping to their room to evade capture until Ran decided to go to bed. She could hide in their closet! Perfect, her plan was complete!

Making sure that her nearby friends were all distracted by the movie out of the corner of her eye, Moca shifted in Ran's lap as a test run. Ran didn't really budge, just kept running her thumb over the top of Moca's thigh. **'_Mou, _Ran-chan really knows how to keep Moca-chan calm. Maybe Moca-chan shouldn't go through with this? No! Moca-chan has to stay strong, Ran-chan is being a meanie!'** Shaking her head a little to clear her mind, she ground down a little on the slight hardness that was in her girlfriend's lap, easily mistakable as her adjusting her position. This earns a little grunt from Ran, the timbre of her voice doing things to Moca's spine. Checking again for anyone looking at her and finding no one, she takes a deep breath and grinds so hard, for such a long time, that it can't be mistaken as anything but intentional. This causes Ran to squeeze Moca's thigh, which makes Moca's core shudder as she feels the hardness beneath her go from akin to rock, to the hardness of steel. It takes all of the power she has in her ability, but somehow she's able to prevent herself from letting out a moan. This, however, does not go unnoticed by Ran. Shifting her wrists on Moca ever so slightly, she presses Moca's lap down into her lap with a challenging glare in her eyes, staring straight ahead but clearly intended for Moca.

They were only able to do this back and forth, Moca's blushing getting ever more intense, while Ran's face stayed almost neutral, minus her intense eyes, before Ran stood up, carrying Moca in a bridal position. As she paused the movie, Alya gave them a worried look. **"Ran, everything okei?"**

Giving a nod, she replied. **"Moca was just getting a bit too scared, so I think we're gonna head to bed. Goodnight."** Everyone replied with 'goodnight' 's of their own, as the two girls left the room and went upstairs, Ran still carrying Moca.

\---

Setting Moca on her feet, Ran gave her a heated look. **"Strip."** she commanded.

**"R-Ran-chan?"** Moca said, confused. Grabbing a handful of Moca's shirt, she pressed her back till her back met the wall, got nose to nose with her, and repeated herself.

**"Strip. Now."** Ran's eyes on her, her husky voice, all of it, was setting Moca's core on fire. Moca only had one question.

**"W-why?"** This caused Ran to smirk, and it was at that moment that Moca knew she would do whatever she asked of her for the rest of her life. Leaning in, Ran pressed her lips directly against Moca's ear and whispered.

**"_Zenbu misete yo_."** Moca outright moaned.

**"Moca-chan's ovaries twitched."** She said, shivering. With impatient hands quaking, Moca pulled off her shirt and shorts, standing in a matching pair of lacy teal bra and panties. Ran's eyes roamed over her body voraciously, causing Moca to turn away in embarrassment. Ran wouldn't stop her from turning away, but she could take in the rest of her body that way. Taking a deep breath, Moca pulled off her bra and slowly reached down, bent at the hip, to pull down her soaked panties. As she got them down to her knees, she felt Ran press against her core, causing her to let out a squeak and even through Ran's pants, could feel the heat from her hardened length. The pressure from Ran caused Moca to abandon her attempts at removing her clothes in favor of helping herself keep her balance by pressing her forearms into the wall in front of her, leaning her head on her forearms.

**"Did you really think that there would be no consequences for your actions babygirl?"** Ran's voice brought Moca back to reality, looking back over her shoulder to meet her eyes, which while intense, were loving. Moca smiled softly, her real smile, as she saw the love in her girlfriend's eyes. She wasn't afraid of this being her first time. She knew she would be well taken care of. Biting her lip, she rocked her hips back and saw Ran's eyes dilate as she struggled to hold her hips still. Through her lust-filled state, Moca saw Ran's hand raising but couldn't make sense as of why, till it came back down and landed, with a loud smack, right down on her ass, causing her to moan as wetness slid down her thigh. **"I asked you a question, _kousagi_."**

**"N-no! Moca-chan thought she c-could run after she t-teased you!"**

**"Well, I hope you see the flaw in that. Maybe since you kept me riled up, I should do the same for you. Tease you, touch you, but never fully give you the pleasure you want."**

**"P-please! N-no! Moca-chan's sorry! Moca-chan just wanted..."** Moca starts to trail off, till once more, a hand comes down on her ass, causing her to squeak.

**"Speak up, Moca."**

**"M-Moca-chan just wanted... just wanted you to t-t-take her!"** Ran really was delightfully surprised to hear Moca stutter this much. It was a side of Moca that she found she loved.

A smirk. **"Well, who am I to disappoint the woman I love?" **Hearing Ran say that, Moca looks back and nearly cums right then and there. Ran has already stripped off her shirt, her bra coming off right as Moca's eyes make contact on Ran's chest. When Ran sees her looking, she licks her lips as she pull off her shorts and panties in one go. Moca sees it. Seven inches long and thick, Ran's hardness an irritated red. Moca can absentmindedly feel the drool rolling down her chin, but can't find a reason to care. Whimpering, she tries to push her hips back, but Ran holds her hips still. **"What do you say?"**

**"Please! I need you!"**

**"Please what."**

Panicking, her brain short-circuits. **"Please daddy!"**

Suddenly realizing what she said, she stops cold. Of all the things she could have said, Moca's afraid she's said the worst. She knew some of the things she liked were... Unconventional, but she didn't realize until now just how... right it felt to call Ran that.

**"Oh? Well, if you insist. Daddy's going to make you melt." **Before Moca can realize what Ran said, Ran pressed the head of her cock against Moca's lips and pushed, the resistance making Ran growl as she pushed the head of her cock into Moca's dripping, hot pussy. As shivers shot down Moca's spine, a squeal made its way out of her mouth. After a second of getting used to the sensations around her cock, she started pushing deeper into her girlfriend. Panting as she keeps pushing, sweat started to pearl on her forehead, the soft and squishy weight underneath her fingers as she gripped Moca's hips her only anchor point. Moca's whimpers and squeals were driving her as insane as the velvety wet muscles that are gripping her cock. After a few more, agonizing, seconds, Ran's hips meet flush with Moca's, the head inside the ivory-haired girl pressing snugly against something round and squishy and oh so tempting.

**"S-so deep." **Moca pants out. **"R-Ran, I love y-oh**\- **you!"** Blushing deeply, she takes a deep breath, knowing what she needs to say in order for Ran to let go. **"Please, Daddy, fuck me!" **As she says that, she purposefully squeezes down on Ran, tears coming to her eyes at the thought of Ran not giving her what she needs. At the sensation of Moca squeezing down on her, Ran's last bit of logical brain snaps. Tightening her grip on Moca's hips to bruising levels, she slowly pulls her length out of Moca, just to hear her little _usagi _whine, stopping with only the tip left inside. Moca tries to push back against Ran, but stops when Ran growls. Not an angry one, not a dangerous one, but a possessive one. If Moca were in her right mind, she might have found all the growling she was doing to be strange and try to talk to her about it. But alas, she was not, and it was doing things to her core that she's never felt before. Satisfied that Moca is listening to her, or at least her body, Ran thrusts back inside up to the hilt in one swift push. This has set a pace in Ran's thrusting, a quick and brutal one, as every time, she pulls almost all the way out and thrusts back in to the hilt. Moca nearly screams every time Ran hits the entrance to her cervix.

**"So soft and fuckable, all for me. Isn't that right, baby? So wet, so velvety, just for your Daddy huh?"** She only gets a stumbling nod as a response from her Moca. Slapping her ass roughly, as a warning, she speaks up again. **"When I talk to you, I expect an answer little one." **At this, a scream escapes its cage inside Moca's throat.

**"Y-yes Daddy! My body is j-just for you!" **Moca whimpers as she feels the coil that's been winding its way tighter and tighter has reached an almost unbearable level. **"Please! Please, I-I'm so close! So close to cumming for my Daddy!" **Even in her lust-crazed state, Moca knew exactly how to get what she wanted from Ran, as her words caused Ran's eyes to dilate even further, drape her body down over Moca's and bite harshly into her neck, slamming Moca immediately into an orgasm that took her with it, her head pressed tightly against Moca's cervix, cum flooding her womb. Sliding down to the floor, still buried deep within Moca, Ran laid them both on their sides as she laved at the still bloody bite mark on Moca's neck with her tongue, sending Moca into a smaller orgasm, milking Ran's cock for all it has. As their adrenaline dies down, and they start to pass out, the only thing that can be heard is Ran's voice ring through the now silent room.

**"Good girl."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Talk about a steamy ride! Sound off in the comments if any of you can tell the direction that this story is going based on the clues I put in this chapter. And, I mean, there are TONS of clues, so go with your gut! Also, don't forget to comment where you might like to see this story go, as I'm writing it all in real-time (I don't plan for my stories, I just kinda have an overall direction I want to go with the full story, but how we get there can be up to you!)


	10. Taking A Break: Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Power malfunction making up for the author's lack of writing capability!
> 
> Also this is shifting to A/B/O cause I want it to. Sorry if that ain't ya cup of tea, it is mine tho.

\--- Earlier, downstairs ---

**"I'll place money on them having gone upstairs to fuck." **Alya says, as she turns off the movie shortly after the two girls went upstairs. Her, albeit a bit random, comment makes half their group blush. Marinette is the first to speak up.

**"U-um, Alya? Ran said that Moca was scared, that's why she took her upstairs." **Alya smirks as she sees Adrien nodding his head behind her best friend's form in the dark. Nino, surprisingly, speaks up.

**"Uh, guys, I'm actually gonna go with the pervert I call my girlfriend." **A slap to his arm for his measures. **"You guys were listening to what Ran was saying but you didn't take a second to really...look at her. She usually has this pretty intense aura about her but...this time, it was downright dangerous. The only times I've seen someone like that is one, If they're about to murder someone, and two, if they're about to get some much needed alone time. Real animalistic." **Tomoe spoke up next.

**"Marinette, he has a point. I've known Ran for a long time, and I'm not sure I've ever seen her as intense as that, and that's a hard thing to beat." **Himari was the next to open up.

**"What? No way Tomoe, they're probably just snuggling. Moca was really scared during the mov-" **She stops mid sentence due to the sounds of three phones going off. **"Um...What's going on?" **Alya, Adrien, and Marinette all pull out their phones, and Alya's eyes sparkle as she looks back up at the girls and Adrien.

**"An Akuma!"**

**"Bless you." **Tsugumi says. Alya shoots her a confused look.

**"An Akuma...oh never mind, you'll see for yourself, c'mon!" **Alya says as she sprints to the door to put on her shoes. Looking to one another, the remaining Afterglow girls shrug and go to follow after them.

**"Girls! We're heading out! Be back in a bit!" **Tsugumi yells up the stairwell. Himari laughs and Tomoe gives a cough that sounds suspiciously like **'That's our Tsugu.'**

\--- Downtown, Park ---

**"So, let me get this straight, you run a blog that chronicles the actions of these superheroes, and that means running straight towards supervillians?" **Tomoe asked Alya after they slowed their sprint to a reasonable walking speed.

**"They're not the supervillians, they're just innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. They're being controlled by an evil man who sends moths out to do his dirty work. Confusing, even for those of us who live here." **Tomoe was clearly incredulous, given her facial expression that screamed 'what the fuck have you been smoking?' Just then, a car went soaring past them, end-over-end right in front of the mouth of the alley they almost exited from.

**"I have never been so unhappy to be proven wrong." **Tomoe said as her face paled. After the car landed on its face, a man with...were those bird wings???...came flying by, screaming about how humanity has ruined the planet, and how humans should all return to being animals, or some crazy shit like that. Just then, Tsugumi spoke up, worried.

**"U-uhm, Alya, Tomoe...Where are Adrien and Marinette?**

\------

**"C'mon _chaton_, what's taking you so long? I can't kick this guy's butt without your crazy jumping around and stupid flirty jokes." **Ladybug said to herself, pacing after having been thrown back from her initial attack. Suddenly, there was a familiar, distinct thump behind her.

**"You called, milady?" **Chat Noir said as Ladybug turned around, the flirty black cat already bent at the hip in an overdramatic bow.

**"Geez kitty, usually I'm the one who's fashionably late. What kept you?"** Ladybug said as he looked into her eyes, his green eyes always finding a way to make her insides flutter. **'Now is not the time for butterflies.'**

**"Sorry about that bugaboo, I was caught up with some friends. Now, let's go show Hawkmoth why he can't just play around with Paris as he wants!" **Nodding, they set off fight.

\------

All-in-all, it was a fairly straightforward battle, the Akuma being the boy's wings themselves. Everything was going normal: Ladybug fighting with him long enough for Chat to get close, Chat distracting him long enough for Ladybug to call on her Miraculous and find out a solution, Chat getting thrown a block or two while body-blocking for Ladybug, then them working together to finish off the Akuma, and finally cleansing the butterfly. The issue came when she threw her yo-yo in the air and yelled her catchphrase. But instead of see a swarm of ladybugs cleaning the street up and reversing the damage done to both the city and the superheroes, her yo-yo just landed back in her hand. Confused and a bit scared, she tried again. and again. To no avail. In fact, she was going to keep trying until it fixed things, the only thing stopping her is the beeping from her Miraculous earrings telling her she doesn't have much time left til she de-transforms.

**"Milady, is everything okei? Usually you have the place cleaned up by now."** Chat says, worried as she hadn't moved in a little bit.

**"I don't know! It's never not done the thing before! I...I have to try to fix this, I'll let you know when I know something!" **Ladybug said as she swung her yo-yo and zipped away, barely making it to an alley a few blocks away before transforming back. Chat heard his Miraculous beep again, and decided he'd better skedaddle.

\------

As Marinette got back to the house they were all staying in, she had just managed to finish up replying to the dozen or so messages she got from her friends worried for her. Without looking up, she walked into the house, bumping into something sturdy and soft that let out an 'ooph'. That was strange. Looking up, she went from confused to straight horrified. She'd just walked into Adrien as he was opening the door.

**"Thank goodness you're alright! I was just about to go looking for you Marinette! The others returned about ten minutes ago and asked me if I had seen you. When I told them you hadn't come back yet, they started to freak. I told them I'd come looking for you, but clearly that isn't needed anymore. Welcome back." **Adrien finished with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. Now done with her miniature heart attack, she nodded, walking into the house to see everyone sitting in the living room, sans one person.

**"Where's Moca?"** Marinette asks. Looking to Ran, the girl looked like the cat that got the canary, not even attempting to hide the smug smile on her face.

**"Oh, she's upstairs sleeping, she was very tuckered out from the movie and show."** Ran said lasciviously. Marinette facepalmed, pulled a bill out of her purse and slapped it down into the waiting hand of Alya, smug grin on her face at being right. **"What's that all about?" **Ran asked, raising an eyebrow.

**"Just a stupid bet I shouldn't have been involved in." **Shrugging, Ran stood up.

**"Well, I'm glad everyone's safe, so I'm going back to bed, it's late. If I'm not back when she wakes up, no one's gonna sleep tonight. _Oyasumi_."** With a nod, she heads up to snuggle her little _usagi,_ the others following suit and heading to bed for the night, exhausted from running around the city from a crazed moth-themed-villain.

\------

Moca woke with a start, panting and sweating profusely. Usually nightmares made her wake up like this, sure, but never to this extent. She didn't even have a nightmare that night, she was still on cloud nine from her earlier...exercise. That was quickly coming to an end as she was overheated. Shuffling a bit, she felt Ran at her back, cradling her. While sleeping like this makes Moca feel so loved, right now she was burning up. It wasn't stifling yet, but she didn't want to test how long that would stay that way. Sitting up and pulling off her pajama top, she sighed as the cool air touched her breasts and her back. The movement from the bed must've woken Ran up, because behind her she heard her love rumble in her deep, sleep-tinted tone.

**"Moca. What's wrong?"** The ivory-haired girl tried to ignore the shocks her girlfriend's timbre sent down her spine, but still failed to suppress a shiver.

**"Moca-chan's too hot, burning up." **Moca said, even stripping off her pajama shorts, whimpering in relief at the cool air on her skin. Sitting up, Ran smiles at her naked girlfriend, mesmerized by the soft glow her skin is giving off from the moonlight in the window. It's then that Moca notices the delicious smell in the room, like freshly baked bread, straight from the oven. Sniffing the air, she found herself nearly addicted to the smell. She didn't realize she was moving till her nose landed against Ran's pulse-point on her neck. She really couldn't get enough of her girlfriend's scent. Ran, meanwhile, had noticed Moca's scent, deep, dark chocolate, bitter as can be, making her mouth water. Ran found that licking the gland that secreted this scent made it stronger, but more importantly, she could taste it, and it was the most divine thing she'd ever tasted. Had she been of rational mind, she would have undoubtedly questioned if Humans had such a gland, but seeing as she was not, she did not question it.

**"Gods, you smell so good Moca. Good enough to absolutely devour." **Ran rumbled, mouthing at that wondrous gland on Moca's neck, making the smaller girl squeal. Reaching her hand down, she grabbed her girlfriend's ass to pull her closer, hand brushing against something soft. Nudging it made Moca moan. **"Oh? When did you slip this little plug in, hm? How long have you had it in, now?" **At Moca's confused noise, thinking she was playing coy, Ran grabbed the fluffy object and pulled gently, causing Moca to squeal. **"That one, little _usagi_."**

Turning, Moca looked down and went pale, it only lasted a few seconds however as the heat returned in full force making her face flush once more. **"T-that's a tail, Ran-chan! W-why does Moca-chan have a tail?!" **Raising her eyebrow, Ran picked Moca up and turned her around and stopped dead in her tracks. There, settled low on her hips, was a cute, white, fluffy rabbit tail. Her arms giving up on the awkward position she had them in, Moca slumped forward on her hands and knees, practically thrusting the tail into Ran's face. And then another scent hit her nose, and as she looked down, she could feel her pupils dilate at seeing Moca's womanhood, absolutely drenched. Taking her shirt and shorts off, she was naked in seconds, the last shred of her sanity snapping with a growl in the back of her throat, grabbing Moca's hips, flipping her onto her back and sliding her cock against Moca's pussy, earning a moan from both of them. Locking eyes with Moca, Ran rumbled out one word.

**"Mine." **Placing herself at her lover's entrance, one hand aiming her cock, the other holding herself up, she smirked.** "Beg."** She seemed to only be capable of one word sentences currently.

**"Please! Please, I need you Ran-chan! I love you and I'm so hot, I can't bear** **it!" ** Moca whimpered out. Taking a deep breath, Ran gains her sanity back for a moment.

**"I love you too, Moca. I'm gonna make everything better babygirl." **And without a second thought, she pushes into her girlfriend's warmth, straight to the hilt, releasing a groan. **"Such a good girl, taking all of me like this."** And then she started thrusting. Moca's mind blanked, focused only on ridding herself of this terrible burning in her body, focused only on riding the high she was chasing. Her moans grew louder with the pace and intensity of Ran's thrusting, Moca moving her hips in rhythm against Ran, though at a significantly reduced pace. The heat, the pressure, was mounting in her body, her core coiled tightly, ready to spring any moment. Apparently, Ran was there alongside her in the race to the finish. **"M-Moca, I'm close, need to pull out." **Moca snarled at the mere thought of Ran finishing anywhere but inside. Wrapping her legs around Ran's waist, pulling her to the hilt, growling out.

**"No. Inside. Now."** Moca felt Ran hit the squishy-yet-durable ring inside her and came, hard, around her, feeling the pressure increase tenfold as she feels what feels like a bevvy of spines lock Ran inside Moca, dragging Ran into her screaming orgasm as well as Ran fills her up. As Ran starts cumming, she moves down, latching on to the scent gland in her love's throat and bites. Hard, drawing blood, feeling a matching pierce on her neck as ecstasy drags her to the realm of unconsciousness, still tied to Moca.


	11. A Break Interrupted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's kinda short but it's pretty dense, with lots of lore. Leave a comment if you wanna influence where this goes from here. (Don't worry, the battle of the bands content IS coming, I'm paving the way for it as it's kinda one of the overall arcs of this story, so it's gotta come at a big time)

The first thing Moca's consciousness took stock of was just how boneless the girl felt. Then it was how full she felt, like that one time she'd eaten half of her favorite bakery's stock. She was full for days, but it was worth it. Then that mouth-watering smell. Gods, it felt like she was drunk off it. Turning around, she buried her nose against that wonderful smell and mouthed at it, whimpering in need when the flavor hit her tongue. Ran woke abruptly, eyes wide and diluted.

**"M-Moca" **Ran moaned at the sensations shooting down her spine. Taking a breath, she pulls Moca's head back, Moca's gaze glassy and unfocused. Shakily, she pulled Moca away from her pulse, trying her best to ignore the drool-inducing whimper leaving Moca's lips. Sitting up, Ran runs a hand through her hair, and is only mildly surprised to find a pair of rather sensitive feline ears atop her head, and after doing a quick check, could also feel her tail sliding around on the sheets some. **'So, it didn't only affect Moca. I have to assume the rest of the world has also been changed like this.' **Running a hand through Moca's hair, playing with her ears some, she didn't notice the running down the hall till her door burst open, making her jump and try to cover her and her girlfriend, which was difficult with Moca actively grinding against her already hard cock, whimpering loudly and smelling amazing. **'Mate'** screamed a voice in the back of her head, as she ignored it in favor of her newly acquired friend Alya charging into their room.

**"Fuck! You guys too?" **It took Alya a second to see the scene in front of her, making her jump a bit. **"Shit, sorry, didn't think you'd be...busy."** At seeing Ran not move, she noticed the glassy, desperate look in the white haired girl's eyes, showing far more passion than she's ever seen from the small girl thus far. **"Uh, is she all right?" **It was at that moment, Moca lifted her hips up and lined Ran's cock up to her entrance, all just barely being covered by the blankets at their hips. In a panic, Ran did the only thing she really could and grabbed Moca's fluffy, soft tail, causing her to squeal and for her ears to stand directly up, having frozen her seemingly in time. She knew that if her love slid onto her, friend in the room or not, she would rut her girlfriend until they both passed out again, regardless of how many people were looking.

**"U-uh, I don't know, she complained of it being really hot and then...ya know...Uhm, anyway, what caused all this?"** Taking a quick glance at her, Ran could see a dog's tail wagging behind her inquisitive friend, mentally nodding, it seemed to fit her. Taking a breath (and immediately regretting it, inhaling Moca's scent and almost losing herself right there and then.) Alya jumped back, looking shocked.

**"Ran, you okei? Your eyes are slits and you're letting off an...interesting smell." **Raising her eyebrow, she brings her wrist to her nose and she sniffs, and doesn't smell really anything. Looking back up at her, she shrugs.

**"I don't smell like anything." **This time it was Alya who raised her brow. She seemed to be noting something in her head for later. **"Look, I'm not exactly in control, so whatever else you have to say needs to wait for tomorrow."** With that, Alya nodded and, shooting her a grin, left the room. At the exact moment the door shut, Ran's arm gave out, letting go of Moca's tail, the shock of coming out of whatever stupor she was in enough to send her slamming down, impaling herself on Ran's shaft. Moca wailed in gratification, setting a quick pace bouncing on Ran's shaft. A deep growl left Ran, as she gave in to the lust boiling in her blood. When Ran shifts just the tiniest bit, Moca screams in ecstasy as the new angle Moca's impaling herself on is hitting that perfect spot inside her. Ran is moaning at just the sheer wetness soaking her lap, the tight grip Moca's pussy has on her shaft is insane.

\------

A few hours later, Ran comes to, Moca passed out, the sun starting to peak through the windows. Getting up, moving away from Moca feels physically painful, but she knows she has to get some hydration and food into the both of them. Getting dressed, she throws on a pair of Moca's shorts and her hoodie, finding leaving the room without being able to smell her girlfriend unbearable. Heading downstairs into the kitchen, she finds every single one of their friends at the dining table. Some, like Tsugumi and Himari and blushing, others, like Tomoe and Adrien and Marinette are pale, while Nino actually looks calm and Alya is lost in thought. Clearing her throat, she gets the attention (and embarrassed squeaks) of her friends.

**"_Minna_, what's going on? I get I'm not usually an early riser, but this is insane even for the hard working type like you, Tsugu." **Much like Alya, Tsugu is sporting a pair of dog ears and a tail. Giving a blushing nod, she responds.

**"W-well, none of us could exactly sleep..."**

**"Wait, so you've all been up since last night? What the hell! You guys need to take care of yourselves! And I thought Moca was bad..." **She says the last bit a little under her breath. Tomoe looks up at her, cat ears on her.

**"Ran. We're up because of you."** Ran looks confused at her.

**"What do you mean?" **Tomoe decides to be blunt.

**"We're up because you and Moca. If it wasn't bad enough that the whole neighborhood could hear you two, we had to deal with smelling you, too! Do you've any idea how mortified Tsugumi and Himari've been? What about Adrien and Marinette! They haven't spoken a word since you two started." **Looking over, she could see that both were clearly in shock, having been too pure to deal with all that was happening.

**"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't really know what was going on. I couldn't really control myself...Ever since...ya know"** She gestures to her ears and tail, **"Things have been...confusing for me. Smells mean more to me, sounds are louder, tastes are more vibrant," **At this, Nino stifles a laugh with a cough. Ran is too tired to even glare at him, **"Everything is so much more intense. I can only stay away from Moca for minutes at a time. It's physically painful to be away from her right now." **Going into the kitchen, she puts on some cheesy eggs and pops some bread into the toaster. **"I'm down here because I feel like I'm starving, and I'm sure Moca feels worse. Aren't you and Alya going through this too, Nino?" **At the mention of her name, Alya speaks up, clearly done thinking for the time being.

**"Sex? Yeah. The shit you two have been doing for hours, inability to step away without pain, no. I've read about something similar in animals before, when canines go into heat. That's likely what she's going through right now, and as her mate, you're being affected by it." **At the stares of confusion she got, she replied. **"What? I wanna be a reporter, I've always been really curious about stuff. So when biology came up in class I looked into every aspect I could." **With a shrug, Ran finishes cooking up the eggs for her and Moca, grabbing water bottles and aspirin and setting them at their unofficially assigned places at the table next to each other. Right as she sets it down, Moca comes downstairs, wearing Ran's sweatpants and a hoodie clearly too big for her. Ran's immediately captivated by how adorable she looks, her long white ears poking out of the hood, bending it back some. **"Looks like you've hit the incubation period."** Ran tilts her head at Alya.

**"Incubation period?" **She asks.

**"A time during a mammal's heat to rest, recuperate, and eat. From there, it only gets stronger till it breaks. Though, it could break early. If that happens..."** Ran didn't need for Alya to spell it out. She doesn't exactly think now's the best time to get her girlfriend pregnant, much as the thought sends a shiver down her spine. Ran sits down in her chair after pulling Moca's chair out for her. Moca just takes her plate and sits in Ran's lap. Before she can say anything, there's a fork in front of her mouth, seeing as Moca decided to feed her. Oblivious to the dumbfounded gazes of those around them, Ran lets Moca feed her, not having the energy to really fight anything happening right now. And so like that, they eat, back and forth, Moca feeding herself and her girlfriend, until both plates are finished, the water bottles having been replaced three separate times by whichever friend was up at the time. It's only then that the two girls notice the looks of incredulity they're being given.

**"What?"** It's Himari who speaks up.

**"Well, Ran... Before all this stuff happened, I don't think you would've let that happen without a fight, and tons of blushing."**

**"Honestly...I think Moca's just...the cutest thing in existence. Like...I can't help letting her get away with stuff."** It's then that Moca speaks, her voice soft, quiet, a bit distant like she's...been...screaming... oh yeah.

**"_Mouu_ Ran-chan, Moca-chan will use that to her advantage if you're not careful~" **This earned her a giggle from Ran. A giggle.

\---

**"As I'm sure you all are aware, due to an incident the government is calling 'The Calling', large numbers of people across the world have sprouted animalistic features such as ears and a tail. People are scared how this will affect their daily lives. No one knows for sure where the world will go from here, but one thing is for sure, changes have to be made."** The woman on the news explained. She went into all the government knew about what was going on, figuring it out to be some kind of forced evolution, that anywhere from 30-50% of the world's population has undergone. They described the sorts of things people should be wary for, the kinds of issues they could face with heats, and ruts, and classifying the world into three sections. Alphas, physically more capable than the others, Omegas, emotionally more capable than the others, and the Betas, the humans that remained. This new race or subrace, whatever they were going to describe it as, has been deemed Animus, and stations all across the city were being set up so the Animus could register with the government, to get the help they need. It also is possible to be a dual citizen with the registration as it acts as a form of imparting citizenship on foreigners who live there. By the time three weeks had gone by, the girls were back home, with an armful of information packets and keys to a new apartment that could be specially controlled to be able to cut off offensive smells or prevent others from smelling an Omega in Heat and getting aggressive.

They were on a special voluntary plan with the city of Paris. In exchange for letting the city monitor them, and gather valuable data to send to World Congress, they were given food and board free of charge, as well as the specific measures due to their unique physiology being Omega and Alpha. It was only the Afterglow girls in this new apartment, as the others said they should stay with their family. It was during the move-in that the adoption process finished, changing Ran from being Ran Mitake to being Ran Dupain-Cheng. She was quite happy with it, honestly. There was even space set up for them to play their instruments in a sound proof studio, a feature thrown in because they were the first to sign up, and apparently the first to give one another the Mating Bite, which doctors eagerly examined them to notate anything different. Humans and Animus alike were brought it, to see if one could spot differences the other couldn't. Since this was being declared as a world emergency, funding was going to every country affected to try and help people get their lives back on track. Moca joked about them being celebrities because of the bite, but the doctors told them that it tied them together on the level of their souls.

Ran smiled and just said that she wouldn't have anyone else as a Mate. Neither woman regretted their decision. The doctors told them that should they decide to become pregnant, they need to make sure to let their government sponsors know, so they can provide proper prenatal care and the sort. There were quite a few times in those few weeks that the media tried to get the girls' interview, in which they declined stating they just wanted to keep living their lives like normal.

They only stopped pestering them daily after one reporter tried to get handsy with Moca, which ended up with him on his back on the concrete, Ran having acted swiftly and without hesitation. She growled viciously, low in her throat as a warning, her scent completely aggressive at the man and completely protective of her Mate. Moca cooed at her, nuzzling her, calming her down. It was about a week after that incident that the girls decided to invite their friends over to their new place, and have a session to just jam out and get back into music after the world's break from trying to deal with Animus suddenly existing.


End file.
